Love Me Like a Reptile
by DominoMags
Summary: It's the day after Valentine's day. Jirou Kyouka is sitting in the lounge while some friends of hers spend time with their significant others. She feels like just holing up in her room with her music until a friendly face decides to lend her a hand. Cover art by erijaime
1. I Think You're Dino-Mite

It was February 15th. Valentine's day came and went. The girls of UA had given their gifts to the objects of their affections. Those who had some anyway. It may have been the top school for heroes in Japan, even the entire world. However, the students were still teenagers and as such, things like valentine's day resonated with them. A few coupes had gathered in the lobby of the 1-a Dormitory, Heights Alliance and were enjoying each other's company. Izuku Midoriya was sitting on the couch with his girlfriend, Mina, stroking her hair as she reached up and force fed him chocolates.

While this was happening, Class 1-B's president, Itsuka Kendou was having coffee in the kitchen with her girlfriend, Momo Yaoyorozu, class 1-A's vice. They had grown closer during an internship together, and after bonding and dealing with unaddressed feelings, they ended up as a couple. Not very many students in the hero course were dating, but those two couples were genuinely agreed upon as being loving and well adjusted. Even Monoma was begrudgingly civil about Itsuka and Momo. Itsuka's best friend, Setsuna Tokage was more than happy to not only egg her friend on towards dating Momo in the first place, she still actively teased the couple months in.

Watching the two pony-tailed paramours with a dejected and far-off look was Jirou. She hadn't really had a valentine to give a gift to. She supposed she could have given something to Kaminari. He was her friend, after all. She may have teased him, hit him with her quirk when he was out of line, and laughed at him, but he was a good friend still. Koji was also an option, and a far gentler soul. He barely spoke but was more than happy to offer Jirou words of encouragement regarding her music, same as Kaminari.

However, the one she wanted to give of her heart to was already spoken for. She was her friend. She was the smartest girl in their class, and the most beautiful. She was also happy with someone else. The hearing heroine was beside herself and could only watch from afar and scroll through her playlist.

"What am I even doing here? I should just go back to my room instead of stalking."

She hated feeling all this. The heartbreak, the loneliness, and worst of all, the jealousy. She couldn't bring herself to hate Itsuka. The girl was fantastic to Momo. She teased her girlfriend a little but was just genuinely supportive, loving and strong, mentally and physically. She wasn't without weakness, but they were only human after all.

Jirou was roused from her thoughts by the door to the building opening and another 1B student entering. She dreaded it being Monoma. That dude was an obnoxious, one-note lunatic and she found it hard to believe he was truly out to be a hero. He seemed a bit unhinged to her. Not in a truly villainous way as much as a "How does anyone even like this guy?" Way. She could say the same of Bakugou, but he at least mellowed out.

The one who entered was not Monoma or any of the other 1b students who had apparently entered the one night. Instead, it was Tokage, wearing her green, wavy hair down to her shoulders, as always. She was dressed in a black leather jacket, a Jurassic park t-shirt, and Khaki pants, along with tan sneakers. The outfit seemed a bit too casual for February, but she didn't live too far, so Jirou could let it pass. Besides, she had other things on her mind now.

"Watchin' anything exciting?" the taller girl asked. She had come here with Itsuka, tagging along with her friend to find people to flirt with and possibly tease the orange-haired girl more about her relationship. At least that's the reason she gave. She had run back to her dorm to grab something, apparently. What it was, Jirou wasn't really concerned. At least not until the green-haired girl had taken a seat next to her and asked her that question.

"It's cool. You don't have to say anything. Just making conversation. Don't mind me." She smiled. It reminded Jirou of Ashido's a little bit, but more crooked, a bit of something Jirou could recognize within herself but couldn't quite put a finger on. Well, she could. She just had a lot on her mind at the moment.

Jirou sighed and looked briefly at the other girl before returning her attention to the couple in the kitchen while the faint sound of choking and laughter could be heard from the couch.

"Huh? Oh. You. Hey…. nothing… was about to go back to my room…later." The rocker girl was about to get up from her perch and isolate herself, maybe play some somber song she had on her mind.

"You like Yaoyorozu, right?" Setsuna had many qualities about her. She was sociable, inquisitive, and bright. Tactfulness was not her forte.

"I…Are you joking?" Jirou was visibly flustered but tried to cover it up with sass and attitude. They were cornerstones of her personality as well as her chosen method of defense in matters such as this.

"Most days, yeah. But do ya?" The green-haired 1B student wasted no time in prodding with a smirk on her face.

Getting even more flustered and defensive, Jirou shot her quirk out towards Setsuna before stopping, relaxing, and mumbling an apology under her breath.

"Alright! Alright! Chill there, Jack attack." The 1B student held up her hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly.

The musician hero sighed and looked over to the other teen beside her. "….I'm that obvious, huh?"

"Yeah, a bit…but I can also sense this thing. Itsuka seems happy. I couldn't take that from her, even if it hurts, you know?"

Jirou looked at Setsuna again, detecting something familiar in the girl's tone and body language. She remained focused on the puckish 1b student.

"I know what it's like. Best friend. Utterly enamored by this great girl who is so smart and fun and amazing. But they choose someone and it's not you… and you're so hurt, and it just gets worse because you feel guilty as heck for not being happy for them."

Jirou stared, her mind scrambling for the right response. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't empathy and understanding from a chatty girl she had previously not though much about.

"…Hey…. Tokage, right?" she asked.

"Yep."

"Can…Can I ask you something?" the teenage rocker exhaled.

"If it's to shut up. I make no promises." Setsuna chuckled. There was a sassiness to this girl that Jirou could appreciate if she was in the mood to.

"Not what I was going to ask…but yeah, didn't think so." Jirou spoke in a low voice, tryng to lift herself with some effort.

"What did you want to ask?" the other girl asked. She seemed less chipper now and more concerned, sympathy and attentiveness painted on her wide-eyed face.

Jirou looks up at Setsuna, and then back to the floor. "Do you resent them? Either of them?"

Setsuna held off on answering, looking at the purple haired girl until she was finished speaking.

"... I... I wanted to dislike Kendou. I really wanted to. I felt like I had to…it's how people work…with stuff like this. You get angry…get jealous…wish for things to turn in your favor…" She takes another glance at the orange-haired girl from class 1B chatting away happily with her tall, raven-haired girlfriend. Jirou couldn't help but feel tears in her eyes, no matter how hard she fought. "But, you know...I see her with Momo… how clearly happy they are together… And I just can't do it…ugh! What's my deal?" Jirou sighed again, wiping away the tears and trying to look less wounded than she actually was, to no avail. "You know?"

"Nah. I have no hard feelings against Yaoyorozu. I was hurt... guess I'm still dealing with it. But she seems like a genuine sweetheart. Her and Itsuka...they seem like a great match. And that's what stings about it, isn't it?"

Jirou looks at Setsuna, drained and tired, but attentive. She barely knew this girl but she was hanging on every word. She didn't expect the words to be of any help, but seh could hope, even if she kept telling herself that she couldn't rely on others to solve her issues.

"I won't lie to you. I feel lonely at times, like I'm just covering up my fears of being alone by constantly putting myself out there…but we're young! We have time to figure this out. No rush."

Jirou wasn't intending to put her problems on anyone. She didn't expect them to know. She was still having trouble feeling too much better. She exhaled and looked at Setsuna. "I guess so…."

"Sorry if I didn't help. I don't expect you to feel better after a single conversation." The green-haired girl laughed. She wasn't kidding. Jirou's feelings would take a lot of time and effort to deal with. Still, this conversation helped and Setsuna's laughter elicited a small smirk on her companion's lips and a tiny sensation in her heart that she thought very little about.

"It's fine. You tried."

"Well, I'm willing to keep if you'll have me…what's your full name?"

"Forward aren't you…" Jirou stated flatly. "Kyouka Jirou."

"Well then, Kyouka Jirou…" Setsuna pulled out a small box with a card attached and a pen. The card was simple and white with a stylized stegosaur in the corner. The girl jotted some things down on the card, then handed the box and card to Jirou.

"It was nice talking to you. Anyway, sorry to jet on you like this, but I have some stuff to take care of. Would you mind holding on to this for me?"

"Sure…" Jirou said blankly with a hint of confusion, taking the box. And card as Setsuna tucked the pen back into her jacket pocket and grinned.

"Thanks! You rock! Catch ya later!" she chirped skip happily and skipped off. Jirou shook her head. She was reminded of the pink girl sitting on the couch with her boyfriend. Jirou shook the box out of curiosity and opened it up, noticing homemade chocolates in the shape of dinosaurs, prompting the punk girl to raise an eyebrow, then read the card. A blush crept across her face.

"From Setsuna Tokage to Kyouka Jirou" was written in a blank space at the top of the card. In the bottom right corner was a curved arrow, indicating that there was something on the back. Jirou flipped it over and read the message on the back. "I made these and thought I could give em to a cutie. Was going to just take them home and eat them myself, but you looked like you needed them more. Enjoy."

Below the message was a phone number. Jirou's blush deepened and her eyes widened as her jacks stood on end. She stared ahead at the entrance to the dorms, where Setsuna had exited, then back at the card, as her heart skipped a beat. A small, soft smile crept onto her lips. It may have been the day after, but it still made Jirou's Valentine's day.


	2. You Rock My World

Jirou leaned against her wall as she sat on her bed, looking at her phone screen at the number on display. She had been given a girl's number. This shouldn't have given her such a knot in her stomach. She had all the girls' numbers in her phone, in her class at least. They were all her friends. She had lately found herself skimming over Momo's number more often, however. She held no grudge against the taller girl. She didn't want to. They were friends, and very good ones at that. She was more preppy, and her parents were loaded, but she was a total sweetheart and a top student. She would be a great hero. Besides, while not quite as wealthy, Jirou's parents were rather well off themselves, being famous musicians.

Getting this bent out of shape wasn't very rock & roll. Was it really punk to become such a timid, blushing mess? She talked to girls all the time She was a girl. She almost wished she could go back to sulking over the heartbreak of Momo being with someone else. She was still feeling that, but now it was now accompanied by sweaty palms and intense butterflies.

"Ugh, c'mon, Kyouka! Stop being such a useless lesbian and message this stupid dino dork already."

She took a deep breath and decided to call. She could text. A brief message and some awkward small talk would suffice. "Thanks for the chocolates, even if you were essentially pawning them off on me."

The earphone jack girl groaned at herself for coming off as rude to a girl who wasn't there. Why couldn't she call this stupid girl with her bad jokes and her sly grin and her beautiful eyes. She clapped her hands against her face to get herself focused, then she pressed speed dial.

"Hello?"

"H-hey. Tokage right? It's Jirou…from class 1a"

"OH MY GOD! YES! I WOULD LOVE TO!"

"I…wha?"

"S-sorry. I got carried away. I'm a spazz. Ignore me. Ugh. Extinction has come for me."

"Um…ok…anyway…. look…Do you want to get coffee or something?" Jirou could feel her skin warming up like a lit stove. Her jacks had stiffened a little and she had to take deep breaths to relax herself. She hadn't really dated anyone before. Spin the bottle game that convinced her she wasn't into boys? Check. Crush in middle school that turned out not to like girls and ended up dating her best friend at that time? Check. Having a crush on one of her UA classmates and closest friends, only for that girl to end up dating someone else who treated her like a queen? Checkmate. The game was lost, and so was the hearing hero herself.

She barely knew this girl from 1b but already, she was willing to learn more. Her words had struck a chord. Watching someone you cared for love somebody else and not being able to hold a grudge or resent their significant other was hard. Having somebody who had been there themselves and had words of advice for dealing with it all certainly helped. Being treated as someone worthy of being courted made the girl's heart do a drum solo. She didn't like getting ahead of herself. It wasn't her style. Ashido's perhaps, but not hers. If anything, she was probably too cautious. Not very rock & roll of her, perhaps, but a guarded heart was better than a broken one, right?

"Hello? Jirou? Jack attack? Hellooooo? I said, "Hell yeah". Spacin' out on me?"

Jirou blushed. That wasn't like her. God, what was with her acting like her friends? She sighed and spoke into the phone. "Oh. Sorry. Dropped my guitar pick. Yeah. Sounds awesome. I can meet you whenever is cool by you."

"Sweet! How about an hour from now? I can meet you outside. Any place in particular?"

"There's a place not far from the school. They play good music there and they have good coffee."

"Rexcellent! It's a date! Talk to you soon!"

Setsuna hung up before Jirou could say anything else. She was a blushing mess. Date? Was this an actual date? And did she really, unironically make a dinosaur pun? The purple haired girl sighed and tried to fight the anxiety as she strummed her guitar. After a few moments, she stopped.

"Guess I better get ready…" she got up as she took the guitar off her lap and put it away, picking out an outfit for her date. "Man, it has been a while…and by a while, I mean my entire life…" Jirou exhaled a tired breath and picked out leggings, a mini-skirt a band shirt, and her favorite leather jacket, and laid them out before getting a quick shower. She stared stone-faced at the wall, a blush across her face. This would be good for her. A chance to get out more. She had been cooping herself up too much. She wanted to just relax. Besides, getting to know this girl better could be nice. Putting on some make up before she was ready to head out the door. As she exited her room, she was shocked to see Setsuna waiting outside her door, checking her phone. She was dressed in a Jurassic park t-shirt, a leather jacket, back and green hi-tops, and short shorts with leggings. Jirou blushed but sighed.

"H-How long have you been waiting outside my door?" she asked deadpan, trying to hide her flustered stutter.

Setsuna looked up from her phone and smirked enthusiastically. "Oh hey! Um…about five minutes.

"And…. you decided to just stay outside my door like a creep and not knock?"

"Well, when you put it that way…yeah. Totally."

"…Let's go get that coffee." Jirou shook her head and walked ahead.

"So, hey…" Setsuna asks. "I have a question."

"Is it some kind of sex joke?" the girl's date raised an eyebrow as her jacks coiled up. Given first impressions, it was hard not to make that assessment.

"No, Rude. Fair, but rude." She pouts playfully. "Seriously though. Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Jirou waved her off and stared blankly at her hands. "You're fine, Tokage..."

"Setsuna. You can call me Setsuna. If you want I mean." The Lizard girl smiled softly, gazing ahead at the person across from her.

Jirou blinked. This was all going really quick. She had little to no experience. She was in over her head. She was thinking she should take things slower. And yet this girl was fast and loud like a punk rock song. That was what was what she liked about this girl. She could be overly flirty and tell stupid jokes, but she was charismatic in her own way. She grinned and shook her head. She would give her a chance.

"Alright then. Call me Kyouka." She smiled. Nobody but her family really used her first name. She kind of kicked herself for being so formal, even despite her rock and roll upbringing. She was a punk. She was a hero-in-training. Risks were part of the game and she had to be willing to play it.

The two stopped for coffee at Café Rotaru, walking through the round, wooden door and taking a seat. There was a small stage in the corner used for open-mic nights. It certainly had western inspirations, but still served various Japanese goods. They had good mochi and made the best Dorayaki Jirou had eaten in a good while. Various records decorated the walls and some indie rock song was playing pleasantly over the speaker, drifting through the air like a leaf on a breeze. In fact, Jirou could have sworn those were some of the lyrics to the song playing.

The two girls both got coffees, one black, the other with cream and two sugars. There was a hint of awkwardness in the air until Jirou broke the silence.

"Hey, Tokage…I mean, Setsuna. Sorry. Not used to this. I…I have a question of my own." Jirou blushed as she spoke.

"Go for it. Dates are kind of like interviews, right? Learn as much as you can."

"Ok? I guess? Right…If you could choose between being with the person you l…you liked…and being a hero, which would you…"

"I'm sorry, but may I stop you there?" Setsuna, held up a hand and sipped her coffee. "Why would I have to choose? Aiming to be a hero is what introduced me to Itsuka. I probably wouldn't have had her as a best friend if it weren't for wanting to be heroes. And even if it didn't quite pan out for us as a thing, I fell for her partially because of that. I say partially, but it's a big part, you know? So, I couldn't really give up on heroics over that, because it is tied so strongly to why I fell for her, you know? Giving up on one would feel like a disservice to the other."

Jirou stared, then looked away for a moment, blushing. She was embarrassed, not just by how silly her question was, but by how poignant this girl's answer was. Even a flirty goofball got it. Jirou prepared to mentally kick herself for her previous patterns of thought but ceased and smiled back at Setsuna bashfully. It was to be expected that someone more experienced at love would have a better grasp on it. Still, she couldn't help but feel satisfied and relieved by the answer. She sipped her coffee and the conversation continued. She learned more about this girl. She had three pet lizards in her dorm: A skink, and two geckos. Unsurprisingly, they were named after characters in Jurassic Park, one of her favorite movies of all time. She loved ska music and had a small record collection under her bed, so Jirou couldn't help but smile at the fact that she was dating another music lover.

X

"Wait. Hatsume? Crazy gadget monkey Hatsume?" The purple-haired rocker blinked in astonishment. She still couldn't believe that her and Setsuna had dated, even if it was very briefly. Setsuna just shrugged and finished her cup, exhaling as she did so.

"I don't really know. We were both quirky girls who thought the other was cute and bonded over it. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for an actual relationship. She's married to her work more than anything." Setsuna sighed, picking up a pastry and biting into it.

"Sorry…. Must be rough…" Jirou looked down at her cup, swirling the tiny amount of fluid still left and watching as it snaked around.

"Hey. No worries. The past is the past, right. At least I'm with a cute girl right now." The lizard girl smirked softly, producing a blush on her date's face.

"Knock it off…" Jirou blushed deeper, pouting as she looked away. Her? Cute? She wasn't exactly used to that. Heck, not even the resident pervert spared her much of a glance. She was mad at herself for feeling anything about that other than relief, as well as anger on behalf of her fellow girls. She did of course. But the point still remained, nobody outside her mom and dad really called her cute. Maybe in middle school a few times when her hair was longer, but not that often.

"What, you don't believe me?" Setsuna quirked an eyebrow, then relaxed. "I can back off if you want. But c'mon! You're just this little rocker girl with the cutest face who does that awkward thing with her quirk when she is nervous. And the way your cheeks light up…. right sorry. I'm doing it again. Want more coffee?" Setsuna asked, trying not to gush over a girl she was just getting to know better, not that that ever stopped her. There was something different here though. Both had crushes on their close friends, and those friends were now dating each other, so, it was a special case.

The rest of the evening went rather well and they eventually parted ways, brushing hands as they headed off to their dorms. Jirou looked at her own and felt her heart climbing up through her esophagus. She didn't know what was happening, but she was kind of looking forward to where it would lead from there.

X

A month had passed. The two girls had slowly built a rapport. They were certainly different, in terms of background, personality, and some interests, but they shared common ground. They both aimed to be heroes, both had fallen for their best friends and ended up heartbroken but unable to hold any grudge against the objects of their affections or their significant other.

Jirou browsed through her favorite record store. White day was coming up and, while her and Setsuna weren't exactly a couple yet, her mind kept returning to last Valentine's day, or rather, the day after. Jirou had eaten the chocolates graciously, sometimes popping one in her mouth before strumming her base.

Between that and their initial talk about Momo and Kendou, as well as the dates they had went on, the punk girl felt she owed her green-haired friend. She wasn't used to people being flirty with her, and yet Setsuna did so constantly. However, there was more to it then just being attracted to Jirou physically, which was a novelty for the girl certainly, especially in comparison to her other female classmates.

This girl was goofy and over the top, overly chatty, sure. But she had good people sense. She knew what Jirou was going through, because she had been there. Maybe not to the same degree. However, they had both harbored feelings for girls who ended up dating each other.

Setsuna also had more dating experience than the purple-haired girl, but she wasn't exactly good with dating. Two failed relationships and a crush on her best friend that ended up nowhere. Despite being so flirty, the girl was cautious about relationships. Jirou could understand and respect that.

That might be part of the reason she found herself developing feelings for the taller girl. Her sly smirk, her enthusiasm about life, and her understanding nature. She was like Ashido in some ways, but more forward. Jirou could feel her heartbeat faster as her cheeks lit up in a blush.

They hadn't committed to anything yet. They both knew that might be best. But that didn't mean Jirou didn't want to pursue anything. And the more the ear jack girl thought about it, taking it slow was bullshit. She had her first kiss with this girl. She remembered it vividly as she touched her lips, still tasting the ghost of Chapstick past.

It was a week and a half after their first date at the café. The two of them were in Setsuna's dorm room, sitting on her bed after she fed her lizards: Ellie, Al, and Mal. They had been discussing music, favorite bands, and Jirou teaching Setsuna guitar. They planned on starting lessons that weekend. Jirou could barely remember how they had gotten to that point. Some discussion of love songs or spin the bottle, and how the young musician didn't really count her first kiss. It was all a blur. What stood out was how warm and inviting the other girl's lips were.

Maybe it was just the novelty of finally smooching a cute girl, or of getting that kind of attention outside of some snide comments in middle school or the nonsense with the cheerleading uniforms at the Sports festival. Either way, Jirou had felt a spark shoot through her body like a bullet forged of elation and butterflies. Her heart was racing. Her eyes were half closed. She distinctly remembered a strand of saliva linking them and Setsuna smiling at her.

"Congrats on your first real kiss. How about a second?"

The 1a student shook her head and buried her head in her pillow. She couldn't believe how hung up she was.

X

Jirou couldn't believe she had gotten up so early. She wasn't like Iida or Momo. She was normally not in a rush to be the first to class. However, she wanted to get there early with her gift. She had to leave it on Setsuna's desk and be out in time to get to class herself. She had wrapped it in a gift bag she bought at a gift shop along the way.

"Jirou?" The punk girl flinched. She turned around as she was caught. The earphone jack girl turned to see Itsuka and Momo, who had decided to walk to class together. She held no animosity towards the pair, but this was not a desired outcome.

"What are you doing here so early? Are you trying to become a model student?" Momo asked with an inquisitive enthusiasm. She had noticed her friend had been more distant, but also calmer lately and was happy at the possibility of them being able to reconnect through academia. She had valued the shorter girl greatly and leapt at the chance to bury this mysterious hatchet.

"Um…no…" Jirou looked away and blushed. "…. Good morning Momo. Kendou." She smiled sheepishly and sighed. "You guys come early regularly I take it, huh?"

"It can be nice to just walk together. I am surprised your class pres hasn't shown up yet. He's normally here first. Must be running late for some reason." Itsuka placed a hand on her hip and smiled at Jirou, then Momo, before surveying the hall way in case she heard 1a's rep sneeze.

"Iida-kun will be running a bit later than usual, he wanted to go over some materials with Aizawa sensei and should be here shortly. Anyway, see you after class, Itsu." Momo smiled softly as she leaned in for a kiss from her girlfriend, who happily obliged.

"Um, you ok? You're headed to the wrong classroom?" Itsuka inquired, cocking her head to the side as Jirou walked in the same direction. The smaller girl remained deadpan as she held up the gift bag she had on her.

It gradually dawned on the martial arts hero what Jirou was doing and she smiled. "Oooh. I see. I can leave it on her desk, if you want."

"If you want…might be better that way, I suppose." Jirou nodded and sighed, walking away and handing the bag over before pausing. "Wait…how do you know who it's for?"

"She won't shut up about you?" Itsuka winked. Jirou slowly grew redder, only getting shaken out of her stupor when Momo beckoned her inside, before the rest of their class arrived.

As she walked into her homeroom, she exhaled and looked backwards.

"Of course, she blabbed."

X

Classes proceeded as per normal, with Jirou taking notes, doing the best she could, and doodling in the margins of her notebook. Her mind kept drifting to thoughts of the girl she gave a gift to. She saw gifts on other girl's desks. They had apparently been left over night. There couldn't have been another way for them to have been there, as Jirou and Momo had been the first to arrive and they were already there. She even got one, surprisingly. It wasn't doing her any favors with focusing.

She had no idea who would have given her a white day present. Was it Setsuna? She already gave her Valentines day chocolates. Was she really so over the top to give her a gift for White Day too? Given what the punk girl knew of the autotomy quirk user, she wouldn't put it past her.

The other girls all got various trinkets, candies, and gifts, either from significant others or friends. Jirou carefully opened her box. She hoped this wasn't some jerk's stupid prank. She wasn't looking to send anyone to the hospital today. She peeked into the box and sighed in relief. It was just a Deep Dope t-shirt. It's not like she didn't have enough, but they were her favorite band, so she didn't have complaints. Besides, shirts got ruined sometimes.

Inside was a card with two anthropomorphized ferns on it, inside was a message that read "I miss my frond. Hope you are doing well. - Momo Y." Jirou looked back at the tall girl, bashfully waving. Jirou sighed and waved back. She had been so enamored by this girl. She wasn't even sure if it was love or infatuation. Maybe both at one point. She was still Jirou's friend and she didn't want her own hurt feelings to ruin that.

After classes, the hearing hero caught up with her former crush, who was waiting for her girlfriend.

"Hey, Momo…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks." Jirou looked down. "I'm sorry things have been awkward between us. I…" Jirou could have confessed her feelings right there. However, she felt it was best left unspoken. Besides, from the look in her class Vice-president's eyes, she could tell it was at least partially understood. "I miss my frond too." The two girls hugged, beginning the process of reconciliation. Not that there was a huge rift. It was just a small awkward situation that had gotten too awkward.

"Ahem. Should I be jealous?" a sly voice rang out.

"Hey. It's fine. I…I'm glad things seem less weird between you two now. I hope I can be your friend too Jirou."

Jirou looked up at the awkward yet genuine smile the 1b student offered and returned one as well. She couldn't hold a grudge against this girl. She treated Momo wonderfully and cared deeply for her. She was everything the black-haired girl deserved and more. Besides, she had always silenced Monoma any time he started his bullcrap about class 1a, so that deserved at least some gratitude.

"Thanks…I would like that." She smiled.

Itsuka nodded, then smirked. "Awesome…. Oh, someone is waiting for you, by the way." The orange-haired girl sighed and smiled, gesturing to her eccentric friend walking out of their classroom. Well, not so much walking as skidding like a hyperactive puppy on a freshly polished linoleum floor.

"HEY! MAKE WAY!" a voice rang out as she prepared to tackle the object of her admiration. Sure enough, while still holding her white-day gift, she glomped Jirou, punctuating it with an exclamation of "Rawr!" The shorter girl responded with an exclamation of "Whoah! Fuck!" before nearly crashing to the floor. Luckily, her best frond caught her and prevented any back problems she could have faced after being on the receiving end of an overly excited pansexual.

"Maybe we should leave you two to your business. Right, Momo?" Itsuka smirked and winked.

"Itsuka, are you sure? I was hoping we could talk to Jirou more and make amends for whatever drove her"

"Hey, it's cool, Momo. Go hang out with your girlfriend. I'll be fine. Promise." She smiled softly.

Bouncing up and down like a character from an od cartoon, Setsuna flashed a wide, excited grin, hissing to keep her enthusiasm in as she showcased the t-shirt and phone charm she got. The shirt had a skeletal raptor wearing a leather jacket and sporting a mohawk, accompanied by text that read "Jurassic Punk".

The phone charm was of a t-rex playing guitar. It was accompanied by a card with an electric guitar on the front that read "You rock my world." It was a little over the top, for Jirou anyway. However, she found it a fitting response to Setsuna's initial card. In the corner, it read "From K. Jirou to S. Tokage"

Jirou knew all the stuff she had given her exuberant dating partner, but she humored her regardless. It brought a soft smile to her face.

"DUDE! YOU GOT ME SUCH AN AWESOME SHIRT AND A SWEET PHONE CHARM! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO GO THE EXTRA MILE!"

"I mean…I kinda did. Tradition, right? Beside." Jirou blushed bright red and averted her eyes, causing mild confusion for the lizard girl until her eyes widened at what the rocker produced next. "Wanna go to a concert? I got two tickets to see a ska band at the Mosuaizuri theater a few blocks from campus. I heard they're pretty good. We can stop for food on the way."

"Ji…Kyouka…..You really didn't have to…I mean, we went on a few dates, but we're not even really a couple and you already are way better to me than any of my exes were. Like, holy cow!"

"I….um…. did you want to be…" Jirou blushed, poking her ear jacks together bashfully as she pushed past her stage fright. She never had a girlfriend before. She was new to this. She was in over her head. However, Setsuna made her want to take that plunge. So, she jumped in.

The green-haired girl was turning red herself. No sly comment. No flirtations. She was honestly flattered and taken aback. After a few moments, she offered her trademark grin.

The two girls walked down the hall, side by side. Setsuna gently grabbed Jirou's hand, causing her to flinch a little, but not pull away. Finally, she relaxed, and the two headed towards the dorms and their next adventure.


	3. Thrill Me Up

Setsuna was ecstatic. She had picked out the right outfit for this date and was rearing to go. She opted for the Jurassic Punk shirt she had received for White Day, a leather jacket, her dinosaur tooth necklace and some blue jeans, alongside a pair of brown boots. She was skanking on the sidewalk in preparation for the show she was going to see that night.

Her newly minted girlfriend, Kyouka Jirou, had walked beside her, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. However, that couldn't hide the smile on her face, punctuated by a flush of red in her cheeks.

"Easy there, Jurassic Dork. You might kick someone." Jirou joshed. She was wearing a plaid miniskirt, black knee-highs, combat boots, and a light grey Deep Dope shirt. They were her favorite band and she had a shirt of theirs for every occasion, not that she didn't own several other band shirts and outfits to match her proclivities.

"Worried about me kicking someone? Not very punk rock." The green haired girl teased.

"Neither is assaulting people. Besides, we're heroes in training. Kind of can't be doing that."

"I'm just dancing." Setsuna sassed back before tripping over a fire hydrant. Had Jirou not activated her quirk, the lizard girl would have kissed pavement before she kissed her girlfriend tonight.

"Save it for the show. I'm not lugging you back to recovery girl" the teen rocker said bemusedly, though truth be told, dragging her to recovery girl is probably the first thing she would do. Or any local physician.

After getting situated and rubbing her shin with a slightly pained hiss, Setsuna smiled sheepishly at her date. "Right. Thanks for the save. Sorry. I'm just." She suddenly grabbed Jirou's hand, prompting her to blush. "Really excited! This is like, my favorite genre of music, and you're, like, my favorite person. So yeah! I'm really excited! Add in dinosaurs and this will probably be the best night ever."

"That's all? I expected something flirtier and more direct with you." Jirou smirked and blushed. Her new girlfriend did like to tease a little, similar to the purple-haired rocker's friend Mina with her boyfriend, Izuku. That was still a combination that the young musician was getting used to, but they made for a surprisingly good pair.

"Are you saying I can't just have an innocent night out without thought of making out with cute girls?" Setsuna pouted, jokingly feigning disapproval of the punk girl's accusations.

"Kinda, yeah." Jirou fired back with a smirk. This girl still managed to make her blush and they had already started to open up about their more vulnerable and sensitive sides to each other, since that first valentine gift. However, Jirou could still spare a bit of sass towards a girl who had been proven capable of both dishing out and taking it.

"Rude." The green-haired girl's cheeks puffed out as she lightly punched her girlfriend's arm. The frown soon, gave into a short burst of laughter. "True. But rude."

Jirou gently shoved the other girl and laughed. "You can grow limbs back. You'll live."

"Not from these emotional scars. You cut me so deep, Jirou-san." The autotomy girl swooned dramatically against Jirou, nearly knocking her off balance. On the surface, the shorter-haired girl was annoyed, but in her heart, she was enjoying every moment with this goofy, talkative ball of energy. As odd as it was, she almost wanted to thank Momo for breaking her heart. That was probably too soon and too odd for her to think. She shook her head and smirked.

"Cut it out, lizard lips."

Setsuna smiled and stuck her tongue out like a gecko, licking her lips with a grin before puckering up and kissing the air. "You keep calling me that, but you never complain."

"You're a pain." Jirou rolls her eyes, failing to hide the notable blush in her cheeks, or the motion of her fingers twirling her ear jacks.

"Only when we're apart, Jack attack." A bright smile lit up Setsuna's face, showing her genuine enjoyment and not a sly cover for some hidden jape she had up her sleeve.

Exhaling as she gripped her girlfriend's hand a bit tighter, Jirou looked at the other girl with a deadpan expression.

"You need to come up with a better nickname for me."

X

They had arrived at the Mosuaizuri theater as the streetlights turned on, almost as if they were preparing for the show themselves. Beaming just as brightly was Setsuna herself, doing an excited twirl as Jirou thrusted her hands into her pockets.

Posters for the band adorned the outside of the theater. They called themselves The Cult of Ska-ro" and had apparently gained a steady following in Musutafu and surrounding areas. Setsuna spoke, snapping her girlfriend's attention towards her.

"You know, I heard Reiko might be here. She managed to talk that gloomy looking gen ed kid into coming."

"That's the ghost girl, right?"

"Yeah. She's pretty ghoul. We hang out and listen to music in her room. She's not a musician like you, but she has a record collection. Surprising amount of surf rock and j-pop hidden amongst all her goth shit." The lizard girl smiled.

"I never talked to her before. Haven't really interacted with a lot of your class." Jirou wasn't lying. She had met them a handful of times since her and Setsuna started dating, but they never got that close. She had also started talking to Shinsou more and had come to have a bit of a sardonic yet genuine friendship with the brainwash boy. He had a similar sense of humor to her and could fire back her barbs almost as precisely as she could. Before teen musician could delve deeper into self-reflection on her friendships outside of 1-a, a realization hit her like a ton of bricks. She squinted suspiciously at her date. "Wait…did you make a pun there?"

"Boo-yah! Yeah, I did!" she pumped her fist in the air victoriously, jumping slightly off the ground as she did so to punctuate how utterly pleased she was at her own terrible jokes. More specifically, she was finding enjoyment in her girlfriend's reactions.

"…. You're dead to me." Upon seeing the growing smirk on Setsuna's face, Jirou's had headed straight for her palm. "God dammit."

"You never stood a ghost of a chance, Kyouka."

"Staaaaaahp." She groaned, unable to stave off the creeping laughter that had filled her belly.

"Fine. Buzzkill. Anyway, you'll get your chance. Since we're a couple now, you'll see my friends a lot more."

"Sounds fun. Kinda hoping it's mostly us though."

Setsuna hugged her girlfriend from behind and smiled. "Hey. The tickets are for you and me, right? I'm not just excited to see a band or a friend I live with, ya know?"

Jirou blushed and felt her ear jacks vibrate slightly from her increased heartbeat. She swallowed hard.

"Right. Let's head inside." She started walking.

"Hey, Kyou?" Setsuna stopped her.

"What?"

"Don't be so tense, k?" a gentle hand punctuated the sentiment, followed by a playful flick of the nose, causing Jirou to wrinkle her face in reaction.

"Not really a helpful thing to say, but sure." The shorter girl snarked to her partner.

"Yeah. I know. But you have every reason to be relaxed. You know why?"

Jirou had several answers. She was going to see a local band she had heard good things about, at a venue she had been wanting to visit more often. If she could stave off the butterflies, she would have liked to play there herself, rather than just open mic nights at the local café. And now, here she was, with her girlfriend.

Girlfriend. It still sounded so surreal and felt that way even more so. The young rocker felt like poking her jacks together as her heart beat faster. Her palms were sweating. Even if she had been taking things in stride so far, it was still so hard to believe. She took a deep breath finally and exhaled, trying to seem less tense as she stared at the other girl and humored her.

"And why is that." She replied more playfully, with a speckle of anxiety in her tone. She hadn't had a girlfriend before, so this was new to her.

Suddenly, Setsuna puffed out her chest and squinted, speaking loudly in a deeper tone of voice.

"Because I am here."

A short burst of laughter escaped violently from Jirou's mouth, rocketing out of her chest. She could not handle this girl, but it was just what she needed.

"What, are you Midoriya all of a sudden? Come on. Let's go already." She shook her head and dragged Setsuna into the theater.

X

The venue was bustling, filled with townies and visitors alike, including some familiar faces. The two girls greeted another pair: a taller boy with a shock of indigo hair and a shorter girl with boyish gray hair and deep blue eyes.

Both had heavy eyelids but seemed to be rather awake and alert. In the crowd were also some third years, including a rather excitable girl with long blue hair and her butch girlfriend, who seemed to be doing her best to keep the other girl from rocketing off in excitement.

"Jack." The indigo haired boy nodded.

"Sup, shin. You look tired Carrying anything in those bags under your eyes?" she smirked.

"Nah. I keep my fucks in there. Fresh out. Sorry." He shot back. The two punched each other's shoulders.

"So, you and Yanagi, huh? Didn't think you did dates. Get bored of going to the cat café alone?"

"Pffft. You don't know me very well if that's the question you're asking. Anyway, your girlfriend ran off. You should probably chase after her." He gestured with his head in the direction that Setsuna had run.

Jirou sunk a little. "Goddammit. Have fun guys. I have to catch a lizard."

"Nice meeting you, Jirou. Properly I mean." Reiko spoke in a slight monotone, but a hint of genuine pleasantry was detectable in her voice to those who could pick up on stuff like that. Jirou would have to talk to the two fellow students later. For now, she was here to spend time with Setsuna, and the aforementioned chatty girl had taken off like a shot for the stage to get closer.

"Do I have to keep you on a leash."

"Whoa. Getting a bit ahead of ourselves there, eh? We just became a couple." Setsuna teased, causing her girlfriend to get flustered and smack her lightly with an ear jack.

"Knock it off. You know what I meant."

"Ouch! Whipping too? We should slow down a bit." The girl continued to chuckle. "Anyway, it's about to start. "She could barely contain her excitement.

The lights on stage illuminated the band as they started their set. The rest of the lights had dimmed, focusing mainly on the musicians on stage. The pit had opened up and both Kyouka and her girlfriend, Setsuna could feel the room jump to life as the horns started blaring.

It was like music had become an elixir, raining down upon the crowd, drinking it in and gaining its essence as they danced around animatedly. Jirou was familiar with a lot of rock music and punk but admitted to not being as into ska as the girl she was with.

Still, she picked it up easily and danced with the girl, watching her ridiculous but energetic movement. She was entranced, falling under the spell of the music and her girlfriend's enthusiasm.

The night became a blur of loud brass, rhythmic guitar, and dancing as the hours flowed by. The two met up with Shinsou and Reiko and talked about the performance so far as they hit the merch table, buying a few items. Jirou treated Setsuna to a new t-shirt and a copy of the bands newest EP "Chewing Bubblegum and Kickin' some Brass".

After that interlude, which included well wishes between the two new pairs and chatting about classes and the show so far, the band played again. It was a good night, made only better after the two girls got to meat the band and take a photo with them.

X

"I still can't believe your dad was the composer for that movie! That is so rad!" Setsuna smiled as she gripped her cup of coffee and gazed at the girl next to her. They had stopped at a nearby pizzeria to eat and wind down after the show. Regaining a bit of energy before retiring for the night was an idea they had both found wise after parting ways with their friends.

"Yeah. The old man gets a lot of work like that. He and my mom met at a concert once because of a soundtrack they were both involved with."

"Makes sense that both your folks are musicians. I can see where your passion came from." Setsuna spoke as she took a bite of her first slice.

"I mean, it's just a hob- "Jirou rubbed the back of her head. She was still not entirely used to being praised for it, even after she had done some open mic nights, performed at the cultural festival, and given lessons to some other students, Setsuna included.

"No, it's amazing and you should feel amazing. You helped kick off the Culture festival, you taught me guitar, and you sang at the top of your lungs tonight, right alongside me."

The green-haired girl paused and shoved more pizza in her face while her girlfriend nibbled at hers.

"I guess. Thanks, Sets." Jirou blushed and continued to eat as she averted her gaze. She couldn't help but smile. She did have a blast, and now she was retreating back into her shell like an anxious turtle. "Man, this pizza is good. You picked a good place."

"Mario's is the greatest. I love coming here. Glad I could share it, you know? Their vodka pizza is my favorite here"

Smirking at her girlfriend's glowing review, Jirou ate more of her pizza. Moving onto two slices, then a third. Finally, the slender, short girl muscled down a fourth. "I can second that. You have good taste."

"Glad someone recognizes it." Setsuna cheers. "Man, this night was fucking great!"

"Yeah it was. Anyway, you're paying." Jirou grinned. "I bought the tickets and the merch."

"What? No fair!" Setsuna frowned, though she was more than happy to help with the bill. She reached for stegosaurus purse to grab her wallet as an earphone jack gently stopped her.

"I'm kidding. Chill. It's fine. You're not the only trickster here." Jirou grinned.

"Nah. I insist we split the bill. It's only fair. And yeah, I just said it wasn't fair a second ago. I was being facetious. Shut up." The flustered lizard girl laughed gently as she grabbed her wallet. The two girls paid their bill and left Mario's.

Setsuna walked alongside Jirou. The highly friendly and vocal girl was lost in thought. This had been the best time she had had in a good while and it didn't take her long to figure out why. She had her own anxieties about relationships, though she was more outgoing and experienced than her partner. Still, below the surface and behind the jokes and innuendos, she was afraid to get heartbroken. She looked at the girl next to her and closed her eyes happily.

"Hey Kyouka?" she spoke again.

"Yeah?" the purple-haired teen looked at her green-haired sweetheart with a tired expression.

"Has anyone told you you're the absolute best?"

It was Jirou's turn to stop. They were such casual, almost fleeting words, and yet the way they were delivered, in conjunction with the person delivering them, made all the difference in the world. "…I mean, I have been told my passion for music is great but…those exact words have never been used. No."

"Well, I'm saying them now. You're the best." Setsuna gently grabbed Jirou's hand and smiled.

Jirou blushed and sighed, resting her head on the taller girl's shoulder as they walked hand in hand.

"Alright, sweet talker. Let's go before I get cavities.

"Sounds good to me. My room or yours?" Setsuna teased.

"Doesn't matter to me." Jirou shook her head. "Hey, Setsuna?"

"Mmm?" The girl with wavy green hair was greeted by a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks. I know I am the one who invited you out, but still…thanks." Jirou's face broke into a warm, gentle smile, contrasting with the high paced energy of earlier in the evening.

"Any time, babe." Setsuna kissed her back. "Let's head to your room. It's closer."

Jirou's face heated up as she nodded. With that, the two set off for the Heights Alliance dorm as Setsuna lead the way. It had been an eventful day and the two couldn't have asked for a better end to it.


	4. If the Kids are United

Voices filled the lounge of the 1b dormitory, none louder than that of the class' resident loudmouthed madman.

"What is wrong with all of you? Have all of you been going soft? You're really going to get in bed with the enemy?" The manic ravings of 1b's resident obsessive jerk was the soundtrack of the day.

The way Neito Monoma went on about class 1a was like a bad joke being beat into the ground, and Setsuna rolled her eyes at it, waiting for Itsuka to just chop him in the back of the neck and shut him up. He was one of the smartest students in class. This made his smug, obnoxious nonsense so perplexing and his having to take remedial classes in year one all the funnier.

"Monoma-san, I think you might be exaggerating. We are all students at the same school, in the same program. We are in this together." Ibara tried talking sense to the blonde boy while Setsuna sat back and watched, ready to chime in if she had to but getting rather bored of her classmate's typical ramblings.

"Tell me, Shiozaki. Do you like playing second fiddle to these high and mighty idiots who get everything handed to the- "he was cut off by a swift and focused strike to the neck.

Setsuna nearly rocketed out of her seat as Itsuka sighed to herself and carried Monoma to the sofa. She should have been used to this. Instead, she was just annoyed.

"Do you ever get tired of sounding like a broken record, you numbskull?"

As one of the girls dating someone outside of 1b (or showing interest in the prospect), Itsuka, had plenty of reason to knock her classmate out. She had plenty of reason to do so before dating Momo. Setsuna couldn't help but grin and offer a high-five but decided to go over to Ibara first.

"Man, he can be a lot to handle." The lizard girl said kindly to her taller classmate. "Thanks, by the way."

Ibara nodded but looked slightly confused.

"Not that I don't appreciate your gratitude, Tokage, but I did nothing worthy of it."

"Bullshit! You stood up for Kendou and I. We're dating girls in 1a and it's got kazoo kid over there all salty." The chatty girl stood with one hand on her hip and another offering a thumbs-up.

Ibara smiled and blushed, folding her hands in her usual fashion. She then returned Setsuna's gesture as a show of good faith.

"I only tried to calm him down and to say what was right. We are all on the same side and have both faced danger from villains. Such petty grudges will hold us back."

"Wise words, flower child." Setsuna offered a playful yet honest smile. "You really are one of the most mature among us." The obvious joke popped into the lizard girl's head, but she shook it off.

"I am grateful you think that… though my reasons aren't entirely altruistic." The vine girl sighed as her shoulder slumped a little, her perfect posture becoming a lot more human and less divine.

"Oh yeah. He's just annoying to listen to after a while. I understand."

"Well, yes and no…I don't like to think such rude things…. he is though…but…there's"

Setsuna quirked an eyebrow and grinned. Now she was intrigued. Did she like someone in 1a?

"Ooooh? So, who is the lucky duck who stole your heart, Maria-kun?"

Before the flustered vine girl could respond, someone had entered the dorms. She was used to doing so by this point, having come by often to see her girlfriend.

"Kyouka!" 1b's resident chinwagger threw her arms in the air, mouthing "I'll ask later if you're up for it." to a bashful Ibara before dashing to her mark.

"Answer your phone" the punk girl blushed and rolled her eyes as she punched her girlfriend's arm. The green-haired student rubbed her arm and pouted.

"Ow! Mean!"

"Want me to kiss it?" Jirou teased her girlfriend as she took hold of the girl's hand.

"Could you?" Setsuna smiled back sweetly, swaying her hips in a playful manner.

Jirou smiled and leaned in to the autotomy girl's ear. She could hear Setsuna's heartrate increase from doing so, a benefit of her quirk.

"Nah. I'll pass."

"Why are you such a freaking tease, Kyouka?" Setsuna puffed her cheeks out in affectionate frustration.

Setsuna groaned, her voice trailing off into a whine as she stomped her feet in an exaggerated manner. She wasn't seriously offended. She rarely was. Messing with someone she cared deeply about was too good to pass up. It was all in good fun and she stopped if she was coming off as too mean. Jokes were one of the chief ways the green-haired heroine showed affection. Her family and friends were acquainted with that fact, and Jirou had learned all too soon. Luckily, she picked up quick and was able to roll with the punchlines while landing some of her own.

"I learned from the best. But my mom's not here, so I learned from you as well." The teen rocker was on a roll, prompting her girlfriend to flail against her.

"Is this for all the puns? It's for the puns, isn't it?"

"Nah, You're just cute when you're like this." The punk girl smiled, slowly realizing how smooth that came out and promptly blushing as she pushed her jacks together.

They had been an item for about a month now and it was going rather well. The young musician wished she wasn't so flustered by this stuff. Even when she thought she had gotten used to it, having a girlfriend was still so new to her. Her parents used to joke about her bringing home a cute boy they could disapprove of.

When it became evident that the boy part wasn't happening, they adapted and settled for a girl they could do the same too.

For a girl who dressed in punk fashion, she had a rather good relationship with her folks. They had helped develop her taste in music and her skills as a musician. She might have teased them, but she was anything but ungrateful. Like her girlfriend, she tended to joke to show her affection, though she was more laidback about it than Setsuna.

"Sorry for not answering the texts by the way. Our resident troublemaker was ranting about your class again and how we were essentially traitors for dating inside it. Me and Itsuka specifically. Plus, Reiko with purple dude from gen studies. I think Ibara has a thing going on with someone from your class too."

"The purple guy is Shinsou. He's cool, I guess." Jirou scoffed, though despite her cool demeanor about it, she had developed a solid friendship with the boy. They had matching cat-ear headphones and he was as close to a brother as Jirou could get as an only child. She supposed Kaminari came close as well. "As for Shiozaki, I have seen her walking with Kouda before"

"You mean the rock-looking dude who only speaks to animals?"

Jirou looked at her girlfriend. "He talks. Just not often. He's talked to me, though he isn't as chatty as you are."

"Nobody is, according to you." Setsuna grinned back, flipping her long, green hair.

"Am I wrong though? You might give Ashido a run for her money."

The 1b student scoffed and smirked. "I don't know. I feel I don't talk as much as she does."

"I've hung with both of you. I think it's pretty even, but you might edge her out."

"If you say so." Setsuna cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Anyway, how was class? I heard we're doing something with 1a tomorrow. Finally."

"Yeah. I kinda forgot that was a thing we were supposed to do in year one. The staff probably forgot with everything else that happened. Looks like it's finally happening."

A hum escaped the young punk's lips as she looked at her girlfriend. She mulled over their time together, first as friends, then quickly into something more. It had been fast and loud like a punk song and that should have flustered Jirou.

She was quite shy and inexperienced about these matters. However, as reserved as she could be, she was as excited as Setsuna bout these things. Getting to work with this girl would be fun, as would getting to know her friends better and vice was slowly overcoming the bashfullness she had about being in a relationship.

Setsuna looked back at Jirou and grinned per usual. She couldn't take her eyes off this girl. She wondered if it was just infatuation, trust, a combination of both, or something more. Both had nursed broken hearts in their own ways.

They had fallen for their best friends, who in turn, had fallen for each other. Still, they wished not to wallow in jealousy and loneliness and, in the end, they offered their hearts to each other.

She was concerned she might be jumping the gun emotionally, but Setsuna already treasured this girl's smile. She lived for the way she stuck her tongue out sometimes when she was laughing. Her voice was soothing, whether it be when singing, or joking around. The green-haired heroine could get used to this.

A jack gently flicked the lizard girl's nose, causing her to flinch and focus. Red ran to her cheeks as she gazed back to her partner, arms crossed as she dropped her shoulders.

"You coming in for practice or are you going to pull a jammingwhey on me?" the purple-haired teen teased, referencing one of her closest friends. She teased him, but had grown to appreciate the guy, when he wasn't being an idiot or a pervert. Then again, she was fond of pretty girls too. She just went about it differently.

"Is that what we're calling it?"

"S-shut up and get inside." Jirou felt her body heat up and her jacks stand on end.

"Oh my~!"

"Don't make me use my jacks." The earphone girl was certainly capable of flirting back, but it could still overwhelm her, especially with the self-proclaimed "flirtasaurus rex". She needed to buy the regenerating heroine a book on coming up with actually good nicknames. Maybe she could have Momo give her a lecture on not telling such awful puns. She hesitated, however. Despite how cringe-inducing some of those things could be, they made up the girl who had taken her heart and Jirou hoped that she would hold onto it for some time. She shook her head to ward off the sappy fuzzies floating around.

"Kinky~" Setsuna winked. She was quite the flirt, but especially loved teasing people she felt close too. It wasn't a particularly long period of time, but she felt that she could say with confidence that Jirou fell into that category. They were dating after all and it was already the best relationship she had been in so far. She didn't like counting her baby Pteranodons before they hatched, but she was feeling optimistic around the sassy songstress.

Jirou groaned at her girlfriend's comments as her face grew hotter. The musician swore sometimes that this girl would be the death of her. Then again, there were far less pleasant ways to die than in the company of someone you cared for. The door shut behind them and they went to town on their instruments.

X

The next day was far busier than the previous, being the start of the school week. More than that, a long-promised shift was coming in how the hero students learned. It was stated that, come second semester, classes 1a and 1b would start having joint classes. It was an idea that made sense to teachers and students alike and one that members of student government, such as Itsuka Kendou, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Tenya Iida, had fully endorsed to further bring the hero classes together. It took longer than expected, as in not the beginning of the semester. Still, it happened nonetheless, with Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Kan leading the proceedings. Other instructors would be joining occasionally, but this was the Eraserhead and Blood King show, as far as the hero kids knew.

Neito Monoma had objected at first but considered it would be a good chance to prove his class' superiority. Unfortunately, the blonde boy was probably the only one banging that war drum. It didn't help his cause that friendships and even romances had bloomed between the kids of the hero program.

Itsuka and Momo had become the first of these couples to marry the two classes. Not long after that, a union born of heartbreak had formed between Jirou and Tokage. Ibara and Kouda had been spending an increasing amount of time with each other too, though neither would admit to anything, especially not Kouda. Monoma felt slightly less betrayal towards Reiko Yanagi, who had started going out with Shinsou from general studies. The rest of the student body just tended to do their own thing, but the copy-cat hero could feel the final nail in the coffin. What was he supposed to do? Respect 1a as equals?

Before he could rant further, a pair of jacks smacked him upside the head. The action took him by surprise and made him nearly leap out of his chair.

"Ow! What the hell!? See!? These 1a "prodigies" are so high and mighty, they would try to silence me with fo- "

The boy was knocked out by a chop to the back of the neck by Itsuka, who had been too far away for an initial strike. The ginger girl high-fived her punk friend and taken her seat next to Momo before classes could begin. Setsuna snorted through her nose and nearly fell off her seat as well, while Momo tried to hide her own chortling to maintain an air of maturity.

"Poor Monoma got double teamed. Probably something that only happened in his dreams." The lizard girl smirked.

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes and held the taller girl's hand. The teen rocker shot a smirk in the autotomy hero's direction.

"Not heroic to laugh at the misfortune of others is it."

"Says one of the girls who doled it out." Setsuna had proven herself capable of keeping up with the sassy songstress, but still tended to come up short when it came down to things.

Jirou shrugged and twirled her one jack around her pointer finger. She shot a look at Itsuka, who offered a thumbs-up, then at Setsuna.

"Fair enough. Not like it wasn't fun though."

Before more banter could occur, the teachers walked in, Aizawa taking the lead while Kan followed behind. Since the class was meeting outside, they had a feeling that things would be starting off intense. Further proof towards this line of thinking was that Aizawa and Kan were teaching. Sufficed to say, every student would probably end up feeling sore by the end of the first day.

"Alright, class. Quiet down. We're jumping right in." the longhaired man with tired eyes and five-o-clock shadow spoke first, opting to take turns explaining things with the hero known as Blood King (Or Vlad King. He wasn't sure anymore. One had been an attempt at marketing him to be more kid friendly, but he argued how silly that was when his superpower involved actual blood.)

"You will each be split into teams of two, like the basic training from your first year. However, there will be key differences. For starters, each team will be from opposite classes. 1a and 1b, you will be working together in this lass and very likely after graduation. That starts today. Furthermore, you should all have your provisional licenses by now, even if a couple of you had to retake the exam."

Bakugou scowled in the direction of his teachers as Todoroki just looked to his side. Setsuna took note of this, remembering that the two 1a students had failed the first time around, but apparently had done better on the next attempt.

"As such" Kan took over now. "You will be performing something more advanced. You have faced real villains by now, have interned with Pros, and procured your provision l licenses. Now that we're in year two, things are going to get tougher." The man with the bulldog-like face had folded his arms and surveyed the entire class. They were still processing each bit of information on today's activities and how they would differ. The fact that 1a and 1b would team up also got them buzzing. Monoma tried to hold his tongue, but Instinct got the better of him.

"So, we have to carry these showboats while they reap the rewards as usual? I wouldn't say this is fair at all, Sensei." The slightly unhinged blonde went off on his typical tirade, almost like a joke that had been beaten into the ground.

Tetsutetsu and Kirishima looked at each other smiling, preparing for a fist bump and hoping they ended up on a team together. They certainly had experience with fighting each other and working side by side, so this wouldn't be too difficult to adjust to.

Similarly, Momo and Itsuka had done the same, though they were far more in sync now than they were before.

Setsuna and Jirou had only recently become an item and had never teamed up before, so if they were partnered together, it would be an interesting chance to practice working together in the field, or at least a field.

The various couples all looked at their teacher, wondering if they would be separated or end up working together. And if they were separated, would they fight each other?

"Much like the basic training in your first year, you'll be drawing lots to select teams. Teams A through J will be up against Teams K through T. The first 10 teams are the heroes and the second half of you are villains." Kan rattled off, as if having rehearsed this. Unlike All Might, he didn't have to read off of a card. He was more experienced as a teacher and knew how to instruct, same as Aizawa.

The scruffy-looking erasure hero was up next.

"The exercise will be to defend a buss full of hostages from your opponents. You are to apprehend them without harming the hostages, symbolized here by robotic dummies. Each one has a damage gauge, accounting for physical and emotional trauma. It's the most accurate we can do without actual people involved. Regardless, be careful. You are to apprehend the villains or rescue every civilian on the bus. Is that clear?"

The students nodded and spoke in unison.

"YES SENSEI! SENSEIS? RIGHT!"

Kan shook his head in bemusement while Aizawa just stared ahead like he was ready for a nap. Still, they all had jobs to do and it was time to get to it. The erasing hero wrapped it up, as if he was using his scarf on the entire class.

"Good. Now get into costume. We start immediately after you're finished. Move out."

X

The teams were selected, and the match-ups were decided. There would be ten rounds, each observed from a similar room to the one used to observe the year one battle trials. Much like the other couples in the class, Jirou and Setsuna were bummed at not being able to team up with one another. Furthermore, they were on opposite sides. Luckily, they were not pitted against each other, though the possibility of that happening in another exercise crossed their minds. The two changed into costume and talked to one another.

"Looks like we're on opposite sides here. I better prepare a villain speech." Setsuna teased as she slipped into her reptilian themed costume. The heroine known as Squamistress (a portmanteau of Squamata and mistress, because herpetology and flirtation were hobbies of hers) had now assumed the role of a villainess. She would do her best to do her worst, she told herself.

"Yep. And please don't I know how dramatic you are."

"Rude!"

"True, but rude. I know."

The small rocker teen sighed in relaxation, choosing to stave off some of her disappointment at the team placements. Still, it was only one exercise, and it would help them both, not that it wasn't a bit basic for the classes. They had their licenses, and some had seen a lot of action already. She had assumed and hoped alongside Setsuna that things would get a bit tougher but working with class 1b and having to get used to them was a start, even if some in Jirou's class were already well acquainted with Setsuna's, and vice versa.

The lizard girl pouted and offered a playful middle finger, which Jirou countered with "Maybe later." Plucking it from the air as if she was blown a kiss and placing it in her case for later. The two girls blushed at the implications, but laughed it off, especially Setsuna. Her traditionally happy-go-lucky expression faded slightly as she finished getting dressed and offered a handshake to the object of her affections.

"Break a leg out there, Kyou." The lizard girl gave the teen rocker an assuring smile. "I mean, please don't actually. I can grow mine back a lot easier than you can." She rubbed the back of her head and averted her gaze.

"Yeah." Jirou gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. "Don't rub it in."

She looked at the floor. It wasn't the end of the world, but she was a bit excited by the prospect of teaming up with Setsuna. It was a couple thing, she supposed, judging by how the others had reacted. They were a new couple, especially compared to Momo and Itsuka, or Izuku and Mina. But they still felt devoted all the same.

"At least we aren't facing each other. We can cheer for each other from the monitor room." Jirou spoke softly but had to make a joke to lighten the mood. It wasn't somber, just not favorable. Still, it could have been worse.

"I should probably be worried about cheering on a villain."

Setsuna placed her hands on her hips and cocked an eyebrow.

"I would be concerned if you didn't in this case." She teased.

Jirou blushed and put her jacks together. "Shut up. You know what I mean."

"Sassy to shy in a matter of seconds. Wowzers! Don't give me whiplash, Kyoukie-doke." Setsuna smiled.

The earphone girl rolled her eyes but didn't try to hide her blush or her grin.

"No promises, especially if you don't stop calling me that."

"No promises." Setsuna smirked back in response as she kissed Jirou on the cheek in return from earlier.

A voice cleared its throat as the two hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound's origin. Itsuka was standing with her back against the door frame, fully in costume, with Momo behind her, checking on the two girls to see what the hold-up was.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything touching. Come on. We're about to start." The battle girl gestured with her head towards the doorway.

The young couple got flustered, especially Jirou, as their pony-tailed friends made their way out of the locker room. Jirou blushed deeper as she heard Momo converse with Itsuka about how adorable the scene they had just witnessed was.

"Well, shall we get ready, Jack attack?" Setsuna looked at the girl next to her, who looked back at her disapprovingly.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Sorry. Getting into character. The green-haired girl stretched out and turned towards the door.

"You are a character." Her musician sweetheart snarked back. "And yes. We shall."

The two walked hand in hand towards their destination after putting their uniforms away and storing them. They had been through worse, so this exercise wouldn't be too bad. It would certainly be interesting.

Once everyone had gathered in the monitor room, the exercise started immediately, with Teams A and K being first. Kan spoke this time, deciding on a tag-team approach with his colleague.

"Alright. I'll make this quick. You all have the gist of what you're doing. The order should be simple too, but for those who might have dozed off, here it is. There will be ten rounds. Things will be set up for each team so that the next can go afterwards. Any injuries will be tended to my Recovery girl.

First up, Aoyama and Awase vs Sero and Tetsutetsu. After that, Ojiro and Kodai vs Midoriya and Monoma."

The blood hero, deciding not to waste more time and bore the students, pointed to a monitor with all the matchups listed.

"Here's the rest so you don't have to hear me yammer. Now, look lively out there, kids. Show us what you've got."

And with that, the exercise had officially begun.


	5. Train in Vain

Setsuna and Jirou stood by in the monitor room with their classmates, watching as it all went down. It was odd that it wasn't being done in a faster manner, akin to the final exams for year one. However, there they were, the students of two hero classes watching the first round.

The matches were rather intense, if not rather basic. A few of the students, especially Monoma and Bakugou were rather unimpressed with the basic approach to the first day of joint classes. In fact, those two in particular were rather vocal about their feelings. Izuku sulked in the corner while mina consoled him. Jirou and Setsuna couldn't help but do the same.

"Sorry, dude. You really got a bad draw, didn't you?" Setsuna kneeled down in front of her fellow green-haired student while his girlfriend patted his back. Jirou crouched next to her own girlfriend and smiled gently.

"I would say at least it's not Bakugou, but I doubt that's much of a consolation.

Before the conversation could continue, Kan had shouted at the students to get back in formation and watch.

"You can canoodle later. You are here to learn. I know this all seems basic and dull, but a refresher course isn't a bad thing. Besides, it will help you get used to one another more. The training camp in your first year was a start, but nothing ever came of that until now. Also, I know some of you…" The hero known as Blood King looked towards Tsuyu, Ochako, Kirishima, and Izuku as he spoke, scanning the room for those four in particular. Afterwards, he looked towards Momo, Tenya, and Todoroki. The three top-ranking students looked at each other with confusion before slumping their shoulders. They remembered their illegal actions in rescuing Bakugou. It wasn't something they had regretted, but it was certainly something they would rather not be reminded of.

"Some of you have experience with hostage rescue. Still, it will help those who have just a small bit better. The rest of you will improve vastly from this as well. Get used to today, you lot. It's all going to get tougher from here on out. Any questions?"

Jirou could have sworn he had already given a rousing motivational speech. She wasn't sure if they needed more than that, but if it helped explain more of why they were doing this exercise rather than just what it was, she couldn't really complain. The purple-haired girl was ready to give her all. This was her dream, her passion. She loved music. It was a major part of her life since childhood. She could never give it up. But that wasn't the career she wanted. She wanted to forge her own life outside her parents. If she hadn't, would she had met any of her friends? Would she had met Setsuna? Would she had met any of her favorite heroes like she had now or fallen for someone the way she had?

The teenage rocker didn't expect answers to these hypotheticals. She was too young to have all the answers. Even if she wasn't, nobody really knew everything. Besides, stuff like parallel universes gave her headaches. She wasn't dumb by any means, but the young musician wasn't as smart as her friends in the top five of her class and she sure as hell wasn't up to speed on theoretical physics and stuff like that. That was probably more Momo's speed.

Snapping back to attention, she stood next to Setsuna once more as they watched the first match on the monitor. They had all gone by in various ways, some more interesting than others, though video only told half the story.

Setsuna whispered, trying to be as quiet as possible with only a modicum of success. "Pssst. Kyouka. Kyouka. What do you think they're saying?"

"I'm not a mind reader, Sets. I'm trying to learn something from this." Jirou sighed and smiled. She knew Setsuna was too, but even if this was their goal in life, it didn't hurt to have a little fun, especially when they were teenagers. Jirou was just taking it a bit more seriously than the green-haired girl.

"I know. Can you, like, plug your jack in and open your mouth and serve as a speaker?"

"None of that would work how you think it would. Also, that would kind of hurt."

"Right. Sorry." The green-haired girl exhaled, closing her eyes.

"Hey, how about I do color commentary next round. We can guess what Midoriya and Monoma are saying." The earphone jack user smiled softly at her girlfriend, holding the other girl's hand as they made eye contact. "Feel free to join in if you want."

"See, this is just one reason I love you." Setsuna smiled as she pinched Jirou's cheek affectionately.

"Are you two talking about something interesting?" Blood King spoke up, Aizawa choosing to sit it out as he sipped a juice box within the confines of his sleeping bag cocoon. Setsuna paused mid pinch as Jirou frowned and blushed. This was not good.

Both girls shuddered and sulked. They were both normally better than this. Still, they were busted and would just have to roll with it."

"Sorry. We were sharing tactics."

"I see. Try doing so outside of class. Mind telling me what just went on, since you two seemed distracted?"

Jirou felt like she was dying. She thought Aizawa was bad. Then again, this was an important exercise, the starting shot of joint classes. Surprisingly, her girlfriend came in with the save.

"Team Sticky Steel is winning right now because they were able to formulate a better strategy."

"Please don't nickname every team." Jirou could have sworn an anime sweat drop was forming on her head. She loved this girl, but she could be ridiculous. Then again, Jirou herself tended to tease Kaminari fairly often, so who was she to judge Setsuna's goofy, sometimes sarcastic behavior.?

"No guarantees." Setsuna flashed a smile at Jirou and continued to speak. "Aoyama seems rather determined but also distracted, not really gelling with Awase. Meanwhile Sero and Tetsutetsu have a solid plan. Tape to keep the hero team at bay and drag them away from the target, while Tetsu times four acts as the muscle."

Jirou knew her partner could be intelligent when she applied herself, but she was rather impressed regardless. That didn't stop the musician-hero from having a bit of fun.

"Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" Jirou nudged the lizard girl.

"In the basement. You're stuck with me for now." Setsuna stuck her tongue out playfully, punctuating it with a wink.

Once more, Blood King interrupted their moment, though this time, more positively. "Not bad, Tokage. Guess you do pay attention after all. Let's see more of that from now on."

X

Up next was the team of Ojirou and Kodai against Monoma and Midoriya. The joint classes watched intently, including the green and purple pair, taking note but also having a laugh as they had promised. It was a fierce demonstration from both teams but was ultimately cut short due to Monoma's lack of cooperation. Izuku did his best to think like a villain and to keep his partner in check. Regardless, Jirou and Setsuna had little to work with as Kodai was able to help secure a win for Ojirou and herself.

Izuku came back, surprised at not having been rendered useless in this fight, but disappointed that he had been partnered with another egotistical blonde with an axe to grind, and he had lost this time.

"Cheer up, Midoriya. Sorry you didn't make it long."

"Well of course he didn't. This 1A moron was holding me back the whole time. I guess he couldn't see the target despite his enormous head."

"U-um…Kendou?" Izuku sighed sheepishly. "Can I?"

"Knock yourself out, Midoriya. Well, you know what I mean." The red-haired girl smiled in Izuku's direction as he nodded.

"Oh, threatening me with violence? How uncouth! See what kind of people are in our sister class? And they still have to defer to uh- "

The manic copycat was knocked out by a chop to the back of the neck by Izuku, who looked rather tired by the whole ordeal. He carried Monoma to Itsuka for her to deal with and, after congratulating the winning team, went back to sit with Mina.

"Damn, your classmate is such a pain, even Midoriya is done with his shit. How do you deal with that guy?

X

A couple more battles had occurred. Iida's team secured victory, followed by Kouda and Shishida's. Two villain teams in a row had won, in no small part to quirk compatibility and the skills of those involved. Jirou wandered over to where Izuku was to check on him. She had grown to appreciate him as a friend, after all their class had been through and some of their discovered similarities. Besides, both their girlfriends would be up against each other, so it seemed fitting to talk to the guy and cheer on Setsuna while he did the same for Mina, who was a good friend of hers as well.

"Looks like our girls are up, huh. "the purple-haired punk grinned at the monitor, looking briefly at her friend for his response. The screen depicted the villain team, Setsuna and Tokoyami ("Team Dinosaur" as the lizard girl had dubbed it), with Mina and Kaibara ("Team Swivel slide") entering the scene shortly after.

"Yeah. Mina has an interesting partner here. I'm not too familiar with Kaibara. I wonder how Tokage and Tokoyami will do."

"She's probably talking his ear off. Not sure how well limb regeneration will do here, but…"

"I mean, she has Tokoyami." Izuku placed a hand on Jirou's shoulder, seeing that there was some slight concern, even if it was only a training exercise. They would ultimately be fine, but the care the hearing hero had for her girlfriend made Izuku smile. At least, it did until the girl looked at Izuku with a slight glare.

"You saying she can't do this without his help?"

"N-no, I didn't mean to, I mean…" Izuku was silenced by a jack gently nudging into his shoulder, like a light punch.

"Relax. Jeez, dude. Just messing. But nah. Worry about your own girlfriend. I've got mine covered."

Izuku nodded smiling at his classmate as he rubbed the back of his head in environment.

" _Jirou."_ He thought. _"You really do care about her. I'll be rooting for Mina, but I'll wish Setsuna and Tokoyami and Kaibara luck too."_

It proved to be one of the most engaging of the matches, surprising several of their classmates, as well as their teachers. Even Aizawa seemed impressed. Mina showed herself capable of tactics, having grown less impulsive while with Izuku and learning to approach things from a different perspective. Using her quirk with Kaibara's she improvised a sort of figure-skating move. It was somewhat unrefined, as it was on the fly, but she slid with the gyrating boy, holding him steady as they both slid towards the enemy. Finally, she spun with him and launched him. The 1b student flew like a drill, using his quirk right as he was flung. Unfortunately, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow intercepted, but it was enough of a distraction for Mina to get to the bus and secure the hostages. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one utilizing distraction.

Mina felt something crawling up her back and yelped in surprise. The pink girl turned around quickly to see if there was anyone behind her. However, it was only her partner, still fighting off Tokoyami and barely holding out.

Shrugging her shoulders, Mina faced the bus again, only to come face to face with Setsuna.

"Hey there, buddy. Looks like we're both taking the same bus. Unfortunately, this is your stop… Gonna need my arm back by the way."

Jirou could only imagine that terrible one-liners were being exchanged between her girlfriend and Izuku's. The fight seemed pretty even. Still, Mina's quirk was far more potent and versatile than Setsuna's and 1a's resident punk girl was nervously biting on the tip of one of her jacks, twirling it around her finger as the battle continued. There was no real danger. If anyone got hurt, they would just go to recovery girl. It would be fine.

"God…what a pain…" Jirou whispered under her breath, shaky and nervous. Was this what it would be like if they were heroes together? If they weren't at the same agency? They had both been under attack by villains, especially Jirou. But that never made it easier. If anything, it made it worse, brought home the reality of her dream. She wanted to be a hero, but she also had wanted a girlfriend for some time, ever since she realized who she was. Now one was hers and the other was coming sooner or later. And yet, the worries proceeded. "I'm being ridiculous."

"I know the feeling, Jirou. Let's cheer them both on. Whoever wins, they both do."

"…what are you…how do you figure that?" Jirou slowly turned around, cocking an eyebrow. Midoriya was a sweet guy, but what he said sounded asinine and she wanted to know the context.

"O-oh. Well, they both have partners who will support them no matter what. If anything happens to one, the other will be there. You'll see."

"Um, thanks? I don't know how Tokoyami will be able to aid her when he's distracted. Plus, I thought you would, you know, want Mi- "

Jirou found herself rambling. It was more, Izuku's style than hers, but the two weren't wholly dissimilar. She supposed it made sense that he would interrupt her, not out of rudeness, but to help her regain focus.

"I'm not talking about the exercise."

The green-haired boy seemed so much calmer and determined, not the easily flustered dork he was and still could be. Jirou blushed as she realized what he was saying and let out a short laugh, slapping him on the back with one of her jacks.

"You're a sap, dude…but thanks." The girl had a more satisfied, aloof expression as she offered a fist. Puzzled at first, Izuku soon smiled back and bumped her fist back. Turning their attention back to the screen, they caught the end, with Mina getting on the bus successfully and securing the win. Thinking quickly, Mina used her quirk to produce a slippery puddle of slime right when her opponent took a step forward. With the regenerating villain captured, the acid hero steeped on the bus and gave her partner a thumbs-up, while he exhaustedly struggled against Dark Shadow. Tokoyami called his quirk back and bowed out gracefully.

The speaker blared the results, for benefit of the audience who couldn't hear. They could certainly hear, but sometimes you needed a loud voice to tell you the obvious, Setsuna supposed.

"TEAM ASHIDO WINS!"

"What a loss for the forces of darkness."

His partner rolled her eyes and chuckled awkwardly in defeat, growing her arm back soon after.

X

There was only one match between Setsuna and Mina's and Jirou's, which saw her team up with Tsuburaba against Ochako and Itsuka. It was Kaminari and Komori against Mineta and Reiko. It went by briskly, as Reiko used her quirk to possess Kaminari and get him to shock his partner, rendering them both unable to continue. Mineta contributed his quirk as well, but the ghost girl had carried him the entire time. Given their quirks and the fact that both had martial arts training between the both of them, Ochako and Itsuka would prove to be a challenge to the heroes in this scenario. As was the case with every team in this class, Setsuna had come up with a name for Jirou's with input from Mina. Surprisingly, Jirou condoned this one.

"Air guitar, huh? I…shit, that one is actually good." Jirou tried to act like she was shocked. She partially was, but the two girls had proven themselves to be in rhythm with one another, having talked and laughed and gotten used to one another. Jirou had taught Setsuna guitar and Setsuna had helped her learn about dinosaurs and reptiles. One was clearly more useful to Jirou, but the thought was what counted.

"Right? I'm super good at this. Anyway, good luck, babe. Show those villains who's boss." The lizard girl grinned.

"Weren't you on the villain side?"

"Yeah, but I'm dating you, so I am reformed now." The green-haired student matched her devilish smile against her girlfriend's quirked eyebrow. The smile won, as it usually did. The victory was cut short by the sound of a throat being cleared.

"Must I remind you two this is a class? Jirou, Tsuburaba, Uraraka, Kendou. You're all up. Show me what you've got." Blood King coached loudly, breaking up the soft moment as Jirou went up next.

Setsuna had teased Jirou for how worried she was, or at least she would have if they had the time. The match between theirs had been rather brief and all the lizard girl could really get in while Blood King was distracted was "Your jacks are all tangled up. I knew you cared, ya big softy." She had done her best to help untangle them, but it just made things worse and flustered her girlfriend more.

Now, it was Setsuna who was concerned, watching with baited breath next to Momo, Mina, Tsuyu, and Izuku as "Team Air Guitar" faced off against "team featherweight". That last one wasn't Setsuna's favorite, but she supposed it fit. Her mind wandered. Her girlfriend was up against her friend. Itsuka was admirable, as a future hero, a fighter, and as a leader. She really was the big sister of their class and Setsuna knew for sure why she had developed feelings for the pony-tailed girl. That girl had wound up with the object of Jirou's affections, her best friend.

Setsuna didn't believe in fate. Supernatural stuff was more Reiko's wheel house. Still, she owed gratitude to Itsuka and Momo for falling in love. She was happy for both of them, of course. They were a lovely couple. However, more than that, if Jirou and Setsuna had never had their hearts broken like that, would they have wound up together? Would they have been less happy? Happier? Who could say?

"Bah. Hypotheticals." Setsuna scoffed as she watched the monitor intently, clenching her fists. She wished the best of luck to all involved. It was only fair. Two of her classmates were involved and one was her best friend. Above all else though, the 1b student was rooting for Jirou. This was just a training exercise. She knew this. It didn't mean she couldn't care about the people involved.

X

Itsuka stood at the ready as she viewed the hero team comping into position. As president of her class and a fighter, she knew she had to have a certain set of skills. In this scenario, she would do he =r best to utilize them and aid her teammate in doing the same. It didn't matter that she was friends with her opponents or that there had been a history of awkwardness between herself and Jirou. That was water under the bridge. If there were stray puddles, they could be dealt with. For now, it was training time.

"Uraraka. Remember the plan?"

Send you floating, then release when you say go. Gotcha." The brown-haired girl nodded.

They weren't particularly close, but the two had interacted before. They were becoming friendlier as time went on, especially given that Ochako was a friend of Momo's and she had congratulated the pony-tailed partners on their relationship.

When Itsuka decided to start a martial arts club to aid the versatility of other students; fighting styles, Ochako was the first to sign up. Ojirou, Kirishima, and Tetsutetsu signed up after. It proved to be a good activity for fun, fitness, and getting to know one another. That would prove useful in a session like this.

The group technique, which was temporarily dubbed "Heavenly shockwave" wasn't too powerful, but it certainly started off the battle right. After floating above the ground high enough, Itsuka enlarged her hands and lifted them over her head. When Ochako released, the orange-haired girl would slam her hands onto the pavement, sending out a shockwave.

Tsuburaba put up an air shield immediately and Jirou went for the bus. If she could get there, and board it, it would be secured. However, the hearing hero knew it would not be easy, and that their best bet might be to disable their opponents.

"Tsuburaba cover your e- "Jirou was ready to attack with her speakers but was cut off by a giant back hand.

"Haven't you learned not to announce your attacks? It might work in anime, but in the real world…" Itsuka chastised Jirou, not sure if she was getting into character too much or just letting her "big sister" role get to her head.

The punk girl went to get up, but found a hand offered to her. Instinctively, she did so, but it was a bad call. Uraraka's hand touched hers, sending the ear jack girl skyward.

"You just painted a target on your back!" Ochako grinned menacingly, showing off an intensity that had become more apparent as time went on. The gravity girl swiftly turned on her heels to whisper to her friend and classmate.

"Sorry, Jirou. Just getting into it. No hard feelings." A more cheerful, if not reluctant expression was on her face this time before she turned away.

"None taken." Jirou shot back with a defiant grin, trying to keep herself from hurling. Her jacks shot out, wiggling a little as she tried to get a grip. Succeeding, the punk girl latched onto her opponent's wrist and pulled the best she could

"H-hey! What the heck?" Ochako was taken by surprise, though given what she and her classmates had been through, she supposed she shouldn't be. Regardless, the gravity girl would have been impressed had Jirou's plan to anchor herself not put the ball in the hero team's court.

Taking a split second, the purple-haired heroine released one of her jacks and plugged it into her speakers. Ochako had more strength in her to fight back, but she wasn't fast enough. A heartbeat blast knocked her off her feet.

Dropping to her knees, Jirou held onto her lunch and soldiered on, tying up the gravity girl. As she fell, the brown-haired student pouted. She couldn't help but feel pride in her friend, but also disappointment in her loss. It was far too easy despite all the experience she had gained. Still, all it took was a split second sometimes to turn the tide of battle. It was as much a game of luck as it was skill. One key moment was all it could take to win. It was up to Itsuka now, but she was outnumbered.

Jirou was closer to the bus. She could taste victory. It had a suspicious flavor. Things couldn't have been this easy. The hearing hero picked up a thud, as if someone had dropped a body nearby.

"It's one on one now." A voice called to Jirou, with Tsuburaba's unconscious body a foot away from his partner.

A hand swiped at Jirou, bruising the girl, but not connecting entirely. The punk girl tucked and rolled, plugging her other jack in and attacking with her quirk.

"You should follow your own advice." Jirou grinned, with Itsuka grinning back. The two girls assumed fighting stance. Itsuka's was far more masterful and refined, but Jirou wasn't without hand-to-hand experience wither, from glasses and from her internship. She might have worked mostly on honing her quirk, but with quirks that could disable others, combat training was necessary.

Jirou blasted with her speakers while Itsuka dodged and counterattacked. Clap against blast, fist against larger fist. Two girls who had fallen for Momo at one point or another, with varying degrees of success. These two young woman who respected the raven-haired girl had put aside their differences mostly, but sometimes, as Itsuka had learned, martial arts could help bridge the gap even further.

X

Setsuna was biting her nails, watching everything on the screen. The other students all observed and made various comments to their teachers, whom had answered in kind. All that was just white noise for the lizard girl as she silently cheered her girlfriend on. Silently doing anything was a bit odd for her. Shwas capable of stealth, which she had exhibited in her match, but she ultimately lost.

She did her best and would do better the next time, despite being outclassed. She could only assume Jirou would do the same, Regardless, it took the green-haired girl everything not to shout, and she realized how ridiculous it all was. Mina and Izuku stood closer, as did Momo, as the four watched on anxiously, taking notes of every move as the fight continued. As they watched the climax of the fight, the quartet exhaled, to the temporary curiosity of their classmates. The rest of the class picked up on the reasoning but turned their attention back towards Blood King. The fight was over.

"Winner: Team Kendou!"

X

Itsuka and Jirou both fought fiercely. Tsuburaba, despite having a good defensive quirk, was ultimately dispatched by his classmate. She knew his weaknesses due to their training together, so it was tricky, but not overly so. Given that this exercise was a warm up and a refresher, she didn't feel too badly. It was mostly a way to get 1a and 1b used to working with one another more. They have had their interactions, but this was meant to bring the two classes closer together.

Jirou did her best, using her ear jacks themselves as a weapon and a way of tripping Itsuka up. All the strain she had put on her lobes was making them sore. Still, _"no pain no gain"._

At the end of the day, Jirou was outclassed, however. She was on the ground, roughed up and exhausted by a superior combatant. Jirou used sound while Itsuka used her fists. In a battle of one, the other would be no match. When the sound-based hero decided to play to her own strengths more, it was too late. The big hand hero, now in the role of villain, had thought quickly and destroyed the speaker parts of Jirou's costume. With that, nobody was left to free the hostage robots and Team Kendou was victorious. Offering a hand to Jirou, even as the medical robots came for the injured, Itsuka helped her opponent up.

"You held your own pretty well." She grinned kindly, receiving a smile in kind.

"Thanks. Wasn't good enough though." Jirou staggered, getting placed on a stretcher by the robots, despite her protestations to being able to walk. Still, a little ride to Recovery Girl's wouldn't hurt.

She may not have succeeded in the exercise, but Jirou had won elsewhere. If there were any lingering anxieties about Itsuka dating Momo, they were wiped out now. Both had given their all, had found the love and support of wonderful girls who had their backs no matter what. The bond of respect was already there, but here in battle, it was well and truly sealed.

X

"There you go, dear. And have some gummies. I keep all kind stocked in here. It always seems to help the recovery process. And between you and me, I can't help but sneak a few myself." Recovery girl said warmly after kissing Jirou on the forehead. Her recovery quirk went to work right away, healing whatever needed to be healed from the fight against Itsuka.

The hearing hero missed out on the rest, though she had heard Momo's team emerged victorious. She had to laugh at how victorious the "villains" were in this exercise, but when you had such formidable individuals teamed up, what else could happen.

"Joint classes sure are going to be interesting. I can only imagine what the sports festival will be like this year." The purple-haired girl smiled as she closed her eyes for a brief nap. Her injuries weren't severe, but recovery girl's quirk tended to have that effect of making you sleepy depending on the intensity of harm done.

Any plans for napping were interrupted by a frantic green-haired girl holding an arm full of stuffed dinosaurs. Jirou shook her head.

"Good heavens, Tokage! Are you trying to give this old woman a heart attack?" Recovery girl chided. Rubbing her temples. She could have sworn a few more wrinkles had just formed.

"Can't. Arms full. Hi!" the girl in question blurted out, sitting in the seat next to Jirou as she arranged the dinosaurs around the hospitalized girl.

"Sets. Slow down. I am almost ready to get out. You really didn't need to bring company." The punk girl sighed and rolled her eyes. It hadn't been that bad. Others incurred far worse injuries than she did. And they were just fine.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Just…I wanted to make sure you were ok, ok?" Setsuna blushed and exhaled. She almost seemed defensive, which was odd for her. The girl was normally far more chill, even mischievous.

"Guess we both lost, huh?" Jirou chuckled softly, propping herself up and picking up a hand-stitched triceratops. It was blue with yellow horns and green button eyes. In its own way, it was cute.

"Pffft. Who cares about that. It was just a training thing. No big deal. Sorry about making a big scene." The lizard girl laughed and tried to come off as far less concerned than she was. It was a flimsy effort that made Jirou smirk wider, a blush across her face.

"Uh-huh. Sure. You were worried about me."

"I…well yeah. I always will, Kyou. You're my rock candy. Hard and all rockfish, but really sweet."

Jirou smiled wider, though she couldn't help but twirl her jacks around her fingers and poke them together.

"You really are a sap, aren't you?"

"If that's your way of calling me sweet, I'll take it." Setsuna blushed. She always tried to make jokes and chat away. Jirou could be a bit of a tease herself. Still, knowing that she had someone who cared so much for her, it made her heart skip. Yeah, her friends cared, and her parents cared. She appreciated that. Setsuna though? This girl was something else, and it was something Jirou cherished.

"It's y way of saying I'm stuck with you." The earphone girl stuck her tongue out, causing her girlfriend to pout before doing the same in jest.

"Yo, RG, am I cleared yet?"

"I'm still not used to being called that, but yes. Your injuries were far better than some of what I have seen from your classmates." The old lady gave a sly smile.

"It's cool. We can all yell at Midoriya later." Jirou deadpanned, taking some of the dino plushies in her arms to lighten Setsuna's load. "See ya around!"

As the two students left together, the school nurse sighed contently.

"It really does add years to my life seeing young couples like this.

X

Setsuna and Jirou were lying together on the former's bed, surrounded by the home-made dinosaur plushies she had brought. They were made by her grandmother and had been prized possessions for years. They were also now adopted by Jirou, in some sort of "weird sapphic ritual of stuffed dinosaur custody". At least, those were the exact words Setsuna had used. Jirou had a weird girlfriend, but she was more than ok with that.

Ska music played leisurely over the speakers in the 1b student's room as her and her girlfriend spooned and snuggled.

"You really were worried, huh?" Jirou teased, nuzzling into the slightly taller girl with a satisfied hum.

"So were you, miss jumbled jacks. I heard from Midoriya how worried you were. Plus, I had to help you untangle your ears. It was hilarious." The green-haired girl grinned as she kissed her partner's ear gently, earning a surprised yet happy sound. "We're both just worried losers, aren't we?"

"Calling me a loser, huh? I could kick you off this bed, you know."

"A.) it is my bed. B.) I am spooning you, and C.) you said yourself we both lost."

"And you said it didn't matter." Jirou groaned back teasingly.

"It doesn't. Just being a butt." Setsuna rolled her eyes playfully, though her partner was unable to see. The lizard girl stared at the ceiling for a moment. Was it too soon for this? It had only been a month or so. She liked being cautious, lest heartbreak occur. She always avoided putting all her eggs together. They were in a relationship now, but things could still happen, a lesson she knew from experience. The girl wasn't sure if she had said these words before. She said so many words, it could sometimes be hard to keep track. Taking a gulp, the girl relaxed

Jirou was warm. Her personality, her smile, her body, everything. She could be a sassy, deadpan kind of girl, prone to bits of mischief and teasing much like Setsuna. Beneath that, however, was someone sweet and sensitive who made Setsuna feel like a lizard that had found that perfect sunny rock. It had been such a short while, but Setsuna didn't want to lose that feeling or the person who made her feel that way.

"Hey…" she spoke.

"Yeah?" Jirou responded, shifting her weight to look back at the girl with the wavy green tresses.

"You know how I can be weird and spontaneous and stuff? And how that might have repercussions and all that?" green eyes darted to the ceiling once more, before casually drifting down to meet purple ones.

"…Yeeeeah? What are you planning?" an eyebrow quirked up. Jirou had known this girl only a short while, but she had learned enough about her shenanigans, charming though they may be for the most part.

Hesitation set in, heartrate sped up, and palms got clammy. Setsuna wasn't sure if her throat was going to inflate like an anole's or something. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This wasn't as hard as she was making it. She just had to say those words.

"I love you."

Jirou's eyes shot wide open as her face turned red and her jacks straightened out. Love? This shouldn't have surprised the girl so much. The two were in a relationship after all. They might have even casually said those words before. Jirou couldn't recall. Still, her heartrate increased, and her ear jacks started to flap a little. Was this real? Did Setsuna feel this way truly? Did she for that matter?

Their relationship so far flashed before Jirou's eyes. Setsuna could be a pain, perhaps even have trouble knowing when to stop with her puns and innuendo, but Jirou couldn't question her loyalty, even if it hadn't been long. This was a girl who treated Jirou like the best thing to ever happen in her life. In fact, as far as the purple-haired girl had known, in regard to love, she was. Setsuna was genuine. Jirou could tell, and she had to admit, this girl was the best thing in her life too. She loved the way she felt around her. How she laughed, how she sang, and how they danced.

Words were hard to describe how Jirou felt right now. AT least, spoken words. Her mind was flooded with so many things, but she was getting tongue tied. The feelings were fast and hard, like a punk song, so raw and emotional.

"Kyou? You ok? Any response? Ky- "

Setsuna was cut off by a pair of lips crashing into hers. Jirou wanted to have more control, she knew she shouldn't rush into things. She would get anxious and guarded and flustered at times. But this, no matter how brief it had been, had felt real. As soon as the two kissed, it was like a jolt had shot through both of them, filling them with the heat and energy of the earth. The two offered no resistance.

Setsuna had been taken by surprise by the gesture. Jirou was shocked that she had been so bold. None of that mattered now. They were in a nice cozy bed with one another and nobody else, save for fake dinosaurs and very real lizards. The passionate yet tender kiss broke a few moments later, panting adolescents gazing dazedly at each other without a word. They weren't even sure what to say, or what had come over them. Not entirely. Jirou spoke first.

"Before you can make a stupid joke, that was a yes." She teased, still in awe at herself for taking that initiative.

"Spoil sport. Setsuna sighed, burying her head in her girlfriend's neck.

It had been a busy day of class, filled with informative battles and new interactions forged between students whom had, for the most part, barely interacted. And now, they day had ended on a far sweeter note. Jirou hummed as she held her precious lizard girl.

"I love you too."


	6. Double Date

Mornings weren't the best for the two girls. They had to get up for classes on weekdays, preparing them for long shifts as sidekicks and, eventually, pros, when they graduated. Some might even catch a break while still in school. Hawks, for example, never went to UA but had his own agency in his teens and was in the top ten hero rankings at an early age. At 22, he was the youngest hero to do so. Jirou and her girlfriend knew this could happen, though it wasn't as likely for them, making it big so early. Regardless, while bed was important, waking up early was as well.

That didn't make getting out any easier, especially given how comfortable it was sleeping with one another.

Jirou would pull Setsuna in with her jacks and hug her close, while the green-haired girl basked in the warmth, not wanting to leave her heat source. The jacks had other uses outside of listening in on things and quirk-based comment. Tickling, snuggles, and sharing her heartbeat with her silly lizard girl were also common uses for the extended earlobes. It certainly helped that, while transmitting her heartbeat through her jacks so that Setsuna's could beat close by, said girlfriend's pulse could be heard as well. As sappy as it was, both girls loved this.

The alarm went off, beeping like an obnoxious mechanical bird, singing its scheduled yet unwanted wake-up call. Jirou was the first to stir, groggily eyeing the alarm. She didn't know why she had such a noisy old thing when she could have just set her phone or found one that played some good music. Jirou honestly couldn't remember where she got it. She just yawned and hit snooze, returning to her snoozing partner.

"Dino-snore…" the purple-haired musician groaned as her head plopped back down onto her pillow. Unfortunately for both girls, the dorm alarm clock was up and alert, being the resident dad as he made the rounds through each floor.

"Please wake up, everyone. It's a school day. Let's have a healthy breakfast and make our way to classes."

"Thanks, Iida…" Jirou sighed, dragging herself out of bed and walking to her wardrobe to grab her uniform.

"Nnnn~. Did someone let a robot loose in the hallway?"

"It was Iida. Waking us up for class."

"So, I was right." Setsuna smirked sleepily, shutting her eyes again. "Let me know how it is, Kyouka. I'll catch up."

The punk girl exhaled through her nose, rolling her eyes at her goofball partner's antics. Both jacks shot out and secured Setsuna, dragging her out of bed and helping her to her feet.

"Ack! No! Five more minutes! I'll get up then!" The green-haired girl kicked and wiggled, putting up a fight, though not violently so. Jirou had to chuckle at how lizard-like this girl was, despite apparently being far less mutated than most of her immediate family. It was the reverse of Ashido's situation, the violet-haired rocker thought. She smiled gently and quirked an eyebrow.

"What? Don't want to eat breakfast with me?"

"I'd rather eat sleep." Setsuna tried to run to the bed, still a bit groggy from waking up, but more alert due to the surprise attack by her girlfriend.

"You're ridiculous. Come on, lizard girl. Let's get ready."

The jacks released Setsuna as their owner took out some deodorant. She took off her night clothes, earning a whistle from the flirty dino girl.

"Can it." Jirou deadpanned back, applying the anti-perspirant before changing into her school uniform, finding where Setsuna had hung hers, Jirou grabbed its hanger and handed the outfit to the 1B student.

"wait, my uniform was in a sweaty heap in the bottom of my bag. And we were in bed snuggling most of the night, outside of eating dinner. How did it get so clean?

"I keep extras in case you crash here." Jirou smiled softly. She had gotten the idea from Momo and really liked it. She even kept some extra uniforms of hers in Setsuna's room just in case.

"Clever girl." Setsuna smirked, unable to resist a reference to one of her favorite films.

Rolling her eyes as she donned her uniform and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"How do I put up with your nonsense."

"I'm a good kisser~." The green-haired girl wriggled her eyebrows and licked the side of her girlfriend's face, having woken up in a silly mood.

"What the fuck?" Jirou shuddered, almost jumping out of her shoes with a blush on her face and jacks aimed in her girlfriend's direction. The jacks soon relaxed after Setsuna put her hands up in defeat.

"Easy there. I'll stop. I'll stop."

The purple-haired punk sighed and mumbled. "You're lucky you're cute."

Setsuna blushed and grinned, linking arms with her girlfriend and pointed dramatically.

"Thanks. You're lucky I'm cute too. Now shall we? Breakfast awaits!"

"Right. Don't forget our bags." Jirou nodded, a slow smirk growing on her face. As embarrassing and boisterous as this girl could be, the teen musician was grateful for her.

This tended to be the tone of mornings between the two girls. Most days, they would get a shower first, but they had done so last night and would do so after class today. It may have been a rather silly routine. However, neither would change it if they could.

X

Class went more or less the same as usual. Training exercises, standard Japanese high school curriculum, and reminder of the upcoming Sports Festival. It would be the second year the two hero classes would participate, though now, there was another batch of first years below them.

Several students found it bizarre to be anybody's "senpai". Jirou was among that group. Setsuna took to it rather graciously though, waving at the first years ever since her and Jirou began their courtship. She had toned it down any time the Public Displays of Affection were too flustering for her girlfriend. However, even if she ended up as a blushing mess during, Jirou would always wish to hold her girlfriend's hand whenever they walked through the halls together.

During lunch, Jirou and Setsuna were sitting alongside Itsuka, Momo, Mina, and Izuku at a table. All six of them tended to sit with their friend groups, but as they all started dating and becoming friends with one another, there were a few days where the couples would sit together with one another. Ibara and Kouda, who had apparently started dating too, were sitting by themselves quietly, while Reiko sat with Shinsou and his friends. The mix of class A and Class B students sitting at the table was already in the midst of a lively conversation, especially the chattiest girls in both classes.

"I'm telling you! A group date! It would be amazing you guys!"

Mina spoke animatedly, waving her arms as she held aloft a pair of chopsticks. Izuku healthily packed away his katsudon while Setsuna ate some barbecue. The green-haired boy felt out of place as the only boy at a table of girls, especially given his history of awkwardness around them. Improvements had been made, and he grew closer to his fellow students, having fought alongside a few and put up with the antics of others. He still mostly stayed quiet unless spoken to, however.

"You make a persuasive argument, Ashido. How about bowling?"

"Don't any of us get a say in this?" Izuku teased bashfully.

"I like the idea. However, Momo and I already have plans this weekend. Maybe another time." Itsuka spoke up, drinking a cup of coffee as her girlfriend politely ate her fourth plate of curry.

"Sorry, everyone. It does sound like a fun plan. We would be delighted to do it some other time.

"Hey, no worries, you two. Enjoy your date. Don't get too crazy." The autotomy girl winked, causing Momo to blush and Itsuka to flip her classmate off with a sideways smile. The 1B president turned her attention to Setsuna's girlfriend.

"Hey Jirou. Care to do the honors?"

The young musician drank her soda and placed a hand up as if to say "No."

"Nah. She'll just make an innuendo out of it, then give me a goofy grin about it."

She shot a glance to her girlfriend, who was pouting at the assumptions being made, no matter how accurate they were.

"I feel so attacked right now. How dare you."

"Yeah yeah, true but rude. I'll make you some chicken nuggets as a peace offering. You know the ones."

The lizard girl puffed out her cheeks in a playfully overdramatic manner, though her eyes pleaded afterwards.

"I'm not a baby, Kyouka… but yes please."

She didn't care how old she was. Setsuna would never tire of dinosaur shaped anything.

"You're my baby." Jirou smiled softly.

Mina and Momo blushed and held their hands to their mouths, enamored by what they had heard. They were no stranger at this point to affectionate Jirou, but it was still adorable. Izuku had even joined in, finding it to be very sweet of his friend to say of her girlfriend. Itsuka offered a proud smile, happy that her friends had found each other. There was still a shared feeling of guilt between her and Momo, but both young women had concluded that this was one of the rare times anyone could be happy to have broken their best friends' hearts. Rather, regards to the end result, they were.

The hearing hero sunk into her chair and tried to hide the growing blush on her face. A hand picked up her chin as a pair of lips swiftly met with hers.

"And you're mine."

Setsuna smiled and blushed, looking to her side in a rare yet welcome show of bashfulness from the lizard girl.

"Jirou, you and Tokage are perfect. Has anyone told you two that?" Mina gushed, pressing her hands into her cheeks as she grinned at the green and purple pair.

"Hhehehehe. You hear that? We're perfect!" Setsuna tilted her head back and laughed mischievously, scrunching up her neck so that it looked like she had multiple chins.

Jirou sighed and planted her face on the table, both to hide her embarrassment and to keep from bursting out laughing at her girlfriend's silliness.

"You're worse than Jamming-whey. I swear, Sets."

"Nah. I'm way cuter."

Setsuna sensually flipped her hair, preparing to give bedroom eyes to her girlfriend. However, she did it so fast that she lost balance and sent her chair crashing backwards.

"Fuck!"

Before Setsuna could hit the floor, two ear jacks shot out and caught her and helped the girl to her feet.

"You're a disaster." The musician hero sighed as her girlfriend grinned thankfully.

"Thanks, my ear dear."

"No problem."

Tenya Iida had stood up from his seat to reprimand Setsuna for swearing loudly in the cafeteria, but Itsuka held up an enlarged hand to stop him.

"I got this, Iida. Babe? Jar."

Momo looked puzzled at first, but caught on with a soft smile, using her quirk to produce a class jar, which she promptly handed to her girlfriend.

"Thanks." The orange-haired girl grinned as she kissed her partner on the cheek.

"It's my pleasure." The 1a vice-president laughed softly, returning the favor.

After blushing at the gesture and touching hoses with her girlfriend, Itsuka held the jar towards Setsuna.

"Pay up, Lizard girl." She grinned.

"Really, yaoi hands? Jeez, you're breaking my balls."

"You need those for me to break them. An extra 50 yen for that one too." The class pres smirked.

After that ended, Iida returned to his table satisfied.

The bell rang as everyone finished their meals and returned to class. Momo and Jirou kissed their girlfriends before parting ways, with the orange-haired girl kissing her girlfriend's hand while the punk girl pecked hers on the lip. It wasn't a joint class day, so A and B did their own things. I proceeded as usual, Jirou chewing on one of her jacks as she thought on some of the problems she had to do in class.

She also mulled over the double-date idea. It sounded fun enough, but she wasn't entirely sure how ready she was for tat yet. It hadn't been that long since her and Setsuna had become a couple. Some more thought was needed. Naturally, the young rocker ended up having to make the choice sooner than desired as her excitable pink friend met her while exiting class. Izuku was talking to Aizawa after class about something, so he was late walking out of class. Momo had gone to meet Itsuka as soon as she could. Class A's resident alien queen confronted her musician buddy as soon as she had the chance.

"Hey! Sorry if it's super sudden, but we really should do a double date though, Jirou. You, me, and our two green beans. What do ya say?" Mina bounced excitedly, clearly having held this in since lunch ended.

"Straight to the point as always, Ashido." Jirou sighed.

"I mean, I'm not really a double date girl."

Mina exhaled and tilted her head to the side in mild disappointment. She didn't want to be disrespectful but was still willing to try and convince her friend.

"Awww man. Come one. It'll be fun. We could see a movie or sing karaoke. Oooh! Karaoke! Yes! You're an amazing singer! It would be super fun!" The pink girl beamed, black eyes sparkling like polished obsidian.

Jirou sighed. She might have put on a stone-faced act but spending time with her friends and her girlfriend did sound like it could be fun. She had overcome her stage fright more, ever since her performance at the culture festival.

"Karaoke, huh? Fine. Deal."

"Yay! This is going to be great!" Mina jumped up and down, though Jirou had to bring her back down to earth.

"Easy there, space case. We might not even be doing karaoke. Like, is Midoriya even on board with this? He doesn't seem like the kind.

"I mean, yeah. He isn't really a performer. He gets rather flustered easily…. would you believe he said yes already?"

"Nothareally, no."

"Why would I lie about this? I was shocked too but ask him yourself. Babe! Over here!" mina turned from Jirou to face her boyfriend, who, in contrast to his girlfriend's words, froze up like an icicle.

"Oh. H-hey, Mina. Jirou. Sorry. Had to talk to Mr. Aizawa. Is…um…is everything alright?"

"I guess. I agreed to the double date thing. Mina says you're ok with Karaoke, but I don't …"

Before she could continue, Jirou was cut off by the green-haired boy.

"Oh, yeah. I'm on board. S-sorry for interrupting you. That was rude…but I want to be able to get better around crowds if I am to become a top hero one day."

Izuku had thought carefully about this. He had already saved several people and danced in front of more people than would be at the karaoke club, so this was a nice step. He had come a long way but wanted to go further. That much was evident.

He was shaky and bashful about it, as expected, yet also driven to better himself in social situations. Jirou had already noticed changes in him since she first met the boy. She smiled in satisfaction.

"Fair enough. We just need to ACK!"

Once again, the teen rocker was cut off by a green-haired teen, this time it was her girlfriend.

"There you are, Kiki. I was wondering why you weren't waiting for me, then I saw you talking with the curly crew here. What's up?"

"Do you have to ambush me like a velociraptor anytime my guard is down? Actually…don't answer that. I know what you'll say." The flustered hearing hero sighed, turning around to gently butt heads with her lady love.

"Anyway, yeah. We're doing the double date. It's Karaoke."

"Yessss!" Setsuna leapt in the air, pumping her fist. Of course, she would be on board with this, Jirou thought to herself. Also, the prominent hiss might have either been for emphasis or a reptile thing. The young punk girl decided it was probably both, given what she knew of the excitable lizard girl.

Jirou shook her head and smiled softly, leaning on her girlfriend. "Guess that settles it. When should we do this then. Weekend?"

"Yeppers, peeps. How about Saturday? This way we can head out earlier and make it back in time for the curfew?" Mina chirped. The responsibility of that decision caught the group off guard.

"What? I don't want to get yelled at by Aizawa. Dude is scary. Besides, it gives us more time to do other things before hand, like get food and stuff."

Everyone agreed to the terms and the two couples parted ways, with Setsuna and Jirou heading to the 1B dorms while Mina and Izuku went to his room.

X

Sure enough, Saturday rolled around, and the date was set. They would all meet at the front steps of Heights Alliance and depart from there. There was a karaoke place and several other places of interest the next ward over, so the four would head out around 2:00.

In anticipation, Jirou and Setsuna tried to do some of their homework together on Friday, while Izuku had less luck that same day. Mina had improved as a student since dating Izuku, but homework was still not something she was chomping at the bit to do, especially when there was a cuddly boyfriend shaped object nearby for her to rest on.

Setsuna and Jirou had eaten breakfast at a nearby café in the area surrounding UA while Mina and Izuku ate in at the dorms. The four met up around 2:05, all dressed for a fun night out.

Izuku wore one of his favorite hoodies, modeled after All Might's very first costume, as well as a pair of dark cargo pants and his favorite red shoes. Mina opted for short jean shorts, alien themed knee-highs, pink hi-tops, and a hot pink leopard print tank top, with a flying saucer necklace and big neon star earrings.

Jirou wore a leather jacket over a vintage band t-shirt, one of the many she owned. It was from Deep Dope's first tour, one of her prized clothing items.

Other than that, she wore a plaid miniskirt, black fishnets, and matching combat boots, as well as a cat hairpin her friend Hitoshi had given her. Setsuna's hair was tied into a pony-tail, something that Jirou had rarely seen. It was weird and reminded her a lot of Momo and Itsuka. It worked but felt off.

After five minutes, the lizard girl undid the style and went back to her messy green tresses, brushed hastily into place. Her outfit consisted of torn jeans, a Godzilla tank top, a leather vest, and a dinosaur tooth necklace. She also had two spiked wristbands and a pair of worn brown boots.

"Everybody ready?" Mina sounded off, doing her best to temper her enthusiasm. The idea of double dates always seemed super fun. Her and Izuku hadn't been on many, but the prospect was too fun to pass up. Besides, the pink and green pair got along rather well with the more recent pair.

"Ready as we'll ever be. Let's mosey." Jirou exhaled in a contented but flat tone. She was nervous, but if she was being honest, was also looking forward to it. It wasn't the first time the pair had been on a date with another couple around, but they mostly ended up doing their own things.

"Pfft. You're cute. But yeah. Let's hit that dusty trail, partner." Setsuna laughed and did her best "funny cowboy walk". Mina laughed along at this, finding a kindred spirit as always in her friend from class B.

Jirou shook her head again. She couldn't help but cover up a snort to prevent herself from laughing too loud. The purple-haired girl could try her best to come off as cool, but this girl knew how to make her laugh, and that was something she was grateful for.

The party headed out from campus and kept walking until they hit the train station, getting their passes and boarding the car, finding seats across from one another and initiating conversation as they pulled out and headed towards their destination.

X

The two young couples got off at the shopping district in Inudorru, several planters filled with trees lined walkways and there was a lovely park there. It was a bit early for the karaoke bar yet, so they decided to have lunch at a nearby noodle shop, U~ōrikku. Mina had been there once with family and had taken Izuku there before. It used to be called Shiji-sha before changing management. There were more fusion dishes on the menu now, but it still maintained its old menu of standbys. Their ramen was apparently good, and they even manufactured their own noodles.

"So, I wanted to bring my sister's lizard to school, as a joke. I made him a little hat and sash and everything. It would have gotten me in so much trouble, but I wish I could have done so,"

"Oh my god, Iida would have had a fit. Why make a sash for the lizard though?"

"Because, he would be a hall monitor."

Setsuna grinned, slurping down her noodles with satisfaction and smacking her lips at the end. She always had stories to share, of pranks she pulled and ones she wished she could have. Jirou looked at her with tired disbelief, though given what she knew of her girlfriend, the earphone girl wasn't sure if "disbelief" was even the right word. Still, there was admiration there. Jirou was far from humorless. She laughed when ribbing her friends, especially Kaminari. She had messed around with Setsuna as well. They even made a habit of pranking each other when least expected, though it always ended in a short-lived truce before the next bout. Said truce was always consummated by snuggles and smooches.

Izuku looked rather shocked by all this. He may have grown more relaxed since he first entered UA, but he still had his limits.

The meal went on like that, with various anecdotes being exchanged.

Izuku was a bit squeamish at some spots, remembering the first time Setsuna demonstrated her quirk for the boy. It was fascinating, and he wrote a lot of notes on her, but being asked by someone to use "full cowling" to pull their finger and witnessing the results? It could be jarring. Once he got used to the lizard girl's personality, they became friends.

Jirou enjoyed this, sharing smiles and laughter with Mina as the two observed their significant others getting along. With all the villain attacks and shifting of society, it was nice to just be a group of kids, having fun and living life. They all aspired to be heroes one day and it was their second year of UA. Soon, the Sports festival would swing around, and they could show off their growth and maybe wow some more pros. Still, just getting to do stuff like this was liberating.

After the group finished their meal, they walked around from there, hitting up arcades, a record store, and a photo booth. There was time to kill before they went to the karaoke bar, but eventually, it opened, and the friends walked to the all-ages venue.

Abe's was a modestly styled establishment, the name embossed on a sign above the door in electric letters. Mina and Izuku went first, with the pink girl offering words of encouragement to her boyfriend. Jirou started walking in but was stopped by her girlfriend.

"Hey, you sure you're cool with this?"

It was still something the earphone girl had to get used to: her girlfriend not flashing a smile or cracking a joke, but rather showing quiet consideration for her partner's limitations.

"Kind of a silly time to ask me now when we're here."

A jack booped the lizard girl on the nose, causing it to scrunch up a bit.

"I've sung in front of larger crowds than this and survived. Besides, if Midoriya can do it, so can I?"

Setsuna smiled back, taking her gal pal's hand and dragging her inside.

"That's the spirit. Come on. We have a song to go choose."

X

The couples went over to the front counter and paid for a few rounds of karaoke, as well as some beverages and snacks. Two or three songs would be fine before they headed back to the train station and, ultimately, UA campus. Izuku was getting himself in the zone, as ridiculous and awkward as he looked. Nevertheless, Mina supported her boyfriend and Jirou did the same for her girl, and vice versa. It was decided, ultimately, that each person would sing one song on their own, followed by a duet with their date. If there was enough time, they would do one more duet each, but with each other's partners.

First up was Mina. She didn't have the best singing voice by any means. In fact, despite her cheerful enthusiasm, she was a bit all over the place when it came to vocals. She had chosen Starships by Rihanna, an older composition that she loved belting out on car rides. She took the opportunity to bust out some dance moves, but nearly fell of the stage. She was grateful for being able to maintain balance, and also that the mic was wireless. Otherwise, it would have gotten tangled up in her horns.

Izuku went afterwards, choosing the theme song to the first All Might animated series, as expected. His friends offered their support and cheered him on, but as Setsuna described it, "No offense dude, but you sing like a really amorous Japanese Ibis who was just struck by a car and is slowly dying of its injuries…you did your best though and that's what counts."

Jirou had jabbed her girlfriend's ribs and Mina glared at the girl's brutal honesty but sighed in conceit.

"Sorry, Izu. She…isn't wrong."

Izuku's shoulders slumped, but he offered a soft smile, handing off the microphone to Setsuna. The lizard girl, in turn, patted him on the back and thanked him before stepping on stage for her turn. Nearby patrons had turned their heads to watch the four UA students perform, but mainly went about their business.

"Thanks. That was brutal, guys, but thanks for being truthful. I tried my best. Guess I still need more practice.

Jirou smiled, showing some appreciation for her friend. He acknowledged his own faults but wanted to do better. She respected that. Taking a seat in a chair she had flipped backwards; the punk girl turned her chair around to watch Setsuna's performance. She expected something goofy involving dinosaurs, like that song about walking one. She could picture her girlfriend's jerky movements as her voice cracked on the ridiculous song.

What she, Izuku, and Mina got instead was unexpected. Jirou had a lot of appreciation for her girl's love of surprises, but this threw her for a loop.

Setsuna had chosen "Every Time We touch" and had poured her heart into it. It was rather sappy for such a silly date, and wasn't really Setsuna's favorite genre, but everyone was entranced by the passion in the performance. It wasn't particularly great, and the lizard girl went off key and fumbled some lyrics. And yet, Jirou had been so entranced by her girlfriend and the way her gaze always shifted towards the purple-haired girl, that it took the tapping of the microphone against her skull to break her out of it.

"Ugh. Sorry. Drifted off. My turn, I guess."

Jirou blushed madly and sighed, sulking onto the stage out of embarrassment as Setsuna and Mina grinned knowingly and Izuku took his phone out to record the performance, as he did for all the ones that weren't his. Better quality recordings of the performances were provided, but it was a habit the boy found hard to break.

Jirou gave an equally spirited performance of Crimson and clover, which was generally agreed to have been the best performance of the four. Her voice was a bit shaky at times and she ended up getting really into the performance, trying to sing over the beating of her own heart. At the end, her group applauded and cheered, as did some of the other patrons.

"Babe, can I just buy you a shirt that reads "Amazing"? Because damn!"

The lizard girl grinned as she held her girlfriend, picking her up and twirling her, though Izuku had to make sure nothing got knocked over during the display of affection, while Mina took pictures.

"I think we spent enough money today. You can customize one of my white tank tops."

"Deal."

The duets were just as spirited but were mostly silly. Mina and Izuku sang "Stay with me", which was normally a single person song. However, they made it work. Setsuna and Jirou chose a Deep Dope song that they Jirou was fond of. It was the first song she taught Setsuna to play on guitar, one of the many instruments the young music enthusiast kept in her room and had gifted to her quirky reptilian paramour.

There was just enough time for the mixed-up duets and Izuku and Setsuna decided on a hero cartoon theme, while Jirou and Mina chose "Bring the noise." Mina was far more adept at rapping than singing, while Jirou was decidedly out of her element. If they were to perform that again at an open mic night or talent show, it was decided that Jirou would provide instruments, as that was her strength by and large.

The night ended on a high note, in more ways than one as the crew headed to the train station, laughing and chatting about how well the date had gone. Jirou was even open to it being a regular thing and would see if Momo and Itsuka would do one at some point.

Mina and Izuku had fallen asleep on the train while Jirou stared out the window, Setsuna's head on her shoulder.

"This was nice." She smiled to herself. It was good being on a group date and singing with friends. It reminded her of the fun she had with the band during the culture festival, or afterwards helping her friend's band. It made her think of the kind of hero she wanted to be, and the sort of people she wanted to work with.

Jirou had always thought of being a solo hero, making a name for herself that way. Perhaps she still would. However, her thoughts drifted to the joint exercises, the villain attacks, and various training exercises. If heroics and being a musician were similar, then hero teams were like bands, in a way.

Everyone had a part to play and everyone had to be on the same page. When they weren't it would be disastrous. When they were though? Their strength would be deafening to evil. Jirou grinned and rested her head against Setsuna, shifting her weight to do so.

"Yeah. That's not bad at all."

Jirou drifted off as well, not hearing much except for a sleepy utterance of the word "same". It seemed like ages until the loudspeaker served as alarm, letting the hero students know that they were back in Musutafu. It was enough to rouse the group to their feet.

They all headed back to campus, too tired to converse as they did earlier, and said their goodbyes before returning to their rooms for the night. It was a fun night that they all needed, as the days ahead would be filled with training and challenges.

The Sports Festival would be coming soon.


	7. Let the Games Begin

The preparations for the Sports festival were ramping up. The first years of every department participating were getting themselves ready to be on he world's stage for the first time. It was going to be a major part of their lives and they could not wait. Third years were similarly preparing for their final sports festival before they graduated and headed into their post-UA lives, hopefully earing a spot at some agency or company.

Then there were the second years. This wasn't their first rodeo, nor was it their last. They knew it would be different from last year, given the fluctuating nature of the festival's events. And yet, they were emboldened. A lot had happened since that first year they were involved, and now those who couldn't quite shine before would be ready to have their moment in the sun.

Kyouka and Setsuna were no different, standing in Gym Beta for some sparring they had scheduled. One was more of a defense player, with her quirk being more suited for escape and diversion tactics. Still, she had developed her own super moves regardless. Everyone was required to before they had taken the license exam. Meanwhile, Jirou's quirk was far more versatile and suited for combat, though it was far better for listening in, which was great for surveillance and rescue.

"Alright. I'll bust mine out. Counter with yours if you can. And before you even say it, no. No "Show me yours and I'll show you mine", weirdo."

"Well if you hate fun, fine." Setsuna rolled her eyes and smirked.

"You will want to change your shirt though. I kind of bleed a bit when my arms come off, so …"

"I know your quirk, Sets. You don't have to explain it. "

Once the small talk ended, the two began sparring in earnest. Setsuna once described banter as foreplay for combat. Jirou talked about how that was gross and weird.

"I heard it from one of Present Mic's radio shows. One of his podcasts, anyway."

"Of course, you did." Jirou sighed and shook her head, getting a running start and end extending her jacks. It didn't make the best use of her quirk, but some training with Mina and a few of the other girls yielded a rather interesting move she had been saving for this occasion. After all, what was romance without surprise, and what was training without an ace up your sleeve, regardless of how effective that card really was.

Setsuna prepared to meet her girlfriend head on, not expecting to get bum rushed. It was rather unlike the punk girl to run in like a bull. She had to have been planning something sure enough, she leapt into the air and did a spin, using her jacks like whips.

Jirou was not as athletic as some of her friends. She was training for a demanding job at a top school, but she lacked some of the natural athleticism her schoolmates had. Nevertheless, the technique caught Setsuna off guard and off her feet. The lizard girl grunted as her behind slammed on the hard floor.

"Damn! Give me warning next time before you go off like a Beyblade. Or should I say Bae blade?"

"We're training for the sports Festival. We won't get much warning when competing against each other."

Jirou looked to the side. She was concerned. She loved Setsuna. She did. She didn't think she would ever love anyone as much as she loved this girl, not even Momo. However, the punk girl couldn't help but feel envious of some of her friends' relationships. Their quirks at least matched up in some way. Even two seemingly incompatible abilities like Acid and super strength ended up working well together. But growing back limbs and earphone jacks? How would those work together? What if the two were in the field and one couldn't keep up?

Jirou hated thinking this, but it was in her head the closer they got to the Festival. It was something that sort of donned on her out of nowhere one day and stuck. She knew it was ridiculous and that she would have to talk to Setsuna about it, but now seemed an inopportune time. They had gone on a double date, snuggled up recently, and even tole one another "I love you." Was she getting cold feet already? Was she worried about being slowed down? About losing her girlfriend? This whole thing was giving her a headache.

"Babe? Babe? Hey!"

Jirou snapped to, noticing a look of concern painted across Setsuna's face. As goofy, talkative, and flirty as this girl was, she showed clear worry for her partner. The hearing hero couldn't help but be grateful for that.

A few first years had been watching the girls spar, taking note of their movements. They took notes and said a few things Jirou picked up, but she paid them no mind. They were watching their upperclassmen and seemed impressed.

"look at that, Kyou. We're popular. Looks like we've come a long way, huh?"

That brought a smile to the hearing hero's face. She never really considered how far she had come, having made it to her second year, performed in front of the entire school in a rock show, and even found love.

If only the anxiety she was feeling would let that sink in properly.

X

The days had been a blur of training and preparation. It felt like most of the time was spent on that or sleeping in each other's arms. There was no declaration of war like the last time. Everyone had settled in a bit more. The general studies students had become less bitter towards 1a. Furthermore, while UA was large and not everyone knew each other that well still (especially with a new crop of students), class A had become rather well acquainted with more of its fellow classes, especially class 1B. Jirou supposed she should start referring to them as 2a and 2b but somethings just kind of stuck in your head.

The day the festival arrived, the anxiety was overwhelming. The first-year stage had begun, and everyone was watching the newest stable of students, showing off what they could do. There were a couple international students, including one from India with a water quirk and an Irish girl with a sonic scream, the latter of whom had placed second behind a boy with a quirk that allowed him to stretch and shift his body shape. Observing everything going on was like a walk down memory lane, even if the events were different Jirou watched to see what would be in store for her and the rest. She had no doubt many of her friends and classmates would stand out. Her and Setsuna didn't get past the Cavalry battle last year, but this was their chance now. Meanwhile, she had no doubt people like Momo, Izuku, and Itsuka would get ahead. There were a lot of strong and talented people at UA and they had only improved. She only hoped she could stand out. The purple-haired rocker was determined to do so. She just hoped her girlfriend could keep up. That thought made her stomach turn with guilt and disgust, as it was rather callous. Still, this was just as big an opportunity and last time and they both had to do their best. That reality didn't alleviate her conscience, but it was what it was.

Setsuna had gotten far in her first festival. Not far enough, but she almost had the chance to progress to the final event, had her team not conceded to team Tetsutetsu. In fairness, they deserved it more. Still, the lizard girl didn't know what events would be involved this year. It changed annually, and every even helped develop various skills and concepts the next generation would need. It would test what they learned, in a way, whatever those events ended up being. After the first segment had ended and the winners from the first years were decided, it was time for the second years to do their thing, Setsuna could feel her spine tingle. She didn't have the most useful quirk. It was no explosion or big fist or earphone jacks, but she had come this far.

The Lizard girl looked at Jirou and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. The trademark smile came on, shaky though it was on closer inspection.

"Hey. You ready to rock and roll?" she grinned, giving a wink and a thumbs-up.

As often as Jirou would roll her eyes and stick her tongue out, she tended to enjoy the green-haired girl's humor. However, the amateur musician seemed more engrossed in other things. Setsuna was pensive herself but didn't want to overwhelm her girlfriend. This was a big event for everyone, them included. It was important to stay focused. However, she didn't want to be in it to win it. Not on her own. It wasn't worth it if Jirou wasn't there alongside her. And right now, it felt like she was a million miles away.

"Kyouka…I'm nervous too. I'm sorry if I said anything earlier but hey. We're a team, right?"

Jirou sighed. She didn't want to be worried about this. She just wanted to have fun and give it her all. She hated worrying Setsuna. She supposed she would just brush it off for now and bring it up when they were preparing. She didn't know what to say, but the ceremony for year two was about to start soon.

"Yeah. We are. We'll do this."

Jirou held her girlfriend's hand. The knot in her stomach was still there but it subsided as Setsuna squeezed. Whatever happened, the two would do it together. Still, Jirou couldn't help but worry how ling that would be for.

She was brought back to attention by Midnight announcing the first event. She had seen the first years compete, so it was assumed that the events would be the same. Still, the purple-haired hero student listened carefully.

"The first event will be Color Tag! Throughout the starting area, there are 100 colored tags scattered about. Each person must hold onto one in order to advance. The competing classes will have to fight amongst themselves for them. Those left holding tags by the time the buzzer rings will proceed to the next event. Those that don't will be eliminated and have to watch from the sidelines. Also, don't get greedy, as we have measures in place for naughty players who wish to hoard tags. You have thirty minutes, so don't go too slow~. Is everyone Ready?"

Jirou thought to herself. She knew Izuku would likely progress, as would Bakugou, Todoroki, Momo, ad the rest. Any other couples would be simultaneously competing against each other and making sure their partner could advance. Jirou would do the same. Still, the "Everyone for themselves" nature did make her mind drift back to her previous worries. She could grab a tag and defend off easily. Setsuna might have more trouble with her more limited quirk, no matter how skilled and creative she could be with it.

"Set."

Jirou shook it off again and prepared to run, clenching her fists in preparation. A warm hand grabbed hold of hers, followed by warmer reassurances of "Let's do our best, k?" Jirou looked at her girlfriend but barely had a chance to nod.

"Go!"

The hunt for tags was frantic. Right out of the gate, the usual frontrunners were in the lead. Mina had used her slime to slide towards a tag and ward off anyone looking to take it with a head spin attack. Izuku, Kirishima, Iida, Shinsou, Ibara, Bakugou, and Todoroki all grabbed tags within the first minute or so. Momo grabbed one too, followed by Itsuka, who had gone for the same tag at first. Jirou saw firsthand that alliances weren't impossible here. She supposed that would be the focus of at least one of the events. She did her best to get her head in the game and enjoy the white noise of the commentary blaring over the speakers and the sounds of her schoolmates fighting tooth and nail to progress.

"Got one!" Setsuna's voice rang out cheerfully nearby as she stood atop a mound, carefully pocketing her green tag in her uniform to keep it safe. Upon closer inspection, the mound had sticky purple hair and was facedown in the dirt. It was Mineta. Jirou could pick up something about it not being fair and that this wasn't how his dreams normally went.

"You shouldn't just announce that you got a tag when we're still competing. Someone could hear and."

"Relax, Jack attack. I have it right…"

Setsuna's relaxed smile turned to a look of panic and worry as she felt for her tag. She could have sworn it was right there in her pocket, but it wasn't. Had it fallen out. The lizard girl recalled every step of her actions until it dawned on her how warm, wet, and slippery her pocket had felt.

"Thanks for advertising. Ribbit." Tsuyu chimed in as she hopped away, the tag on her tongue.

"Hey! Get back here, Femme Kermit! That's mine!"

One Green-haired girl gave chase after another, leaving Jirou to sigh and shake her head. It was time for her to focus up as she reached searched for another tag. Sure enough, she found a purple one tied to a tree, next to what looked like a small jeep or something. It was a metallic shape that the 2a student paid little mind to as she grabbed her tag. Various quirks and abilities were being shown off, with some support students utilizing their skills as well. Mei Hatsume laughed maniacally as she grabbed s tag for herself and kept out of the way of others looking to take it for themselves.

As Jirou grabbed the tag with her jacks, she was side checked by a familiar blonde boy.

"Oops! My apologies, mon ami. I shall take that lovely tag for myAAAIIII"

"Sorry dude. Not today." Another blonde chimed in, grabbing the tag for himself as he used his classmate for a step stool.

"Not freaking cool, Jamming-whey!" Jirou shouted, shooting a jack into his side before reaching with the other to nab the precious tag.

It was an utter free for all, with most tags switching hands at least once. 20 minutes had elapsed like this, with the hearing hero coming up short. She had hoped her girlfriend was faring better, but they had lost each other in the chaos. She thought about grabbing two tags. It was advised not to hoard the tings, as that would break the game and leave a lot of people out. However, nabbing one for her partner wasn't a bad strategy.

Jirou decided that she would aim for two just in case. At least this way, the two could progress to the next round together. A team up could have worked, as she had noticed Momo and Itsuka standing back to back and defending each other's tags while Izuku and Mina would take turns doing the same based on the situation. However, such a strategy required Setsuna, and Jirou couldn't see her in the large crowd of competitors, many whom she still couldn't name. Again, UA was a large school.

"What a pain." The punk girl sighed as she ran towards the crowd, hoping to gain both a tag and to find her lizard girl. She had found a tag once or twice, only to have it stolen from her or grabbed before she could even obtain it.

X

Meanwhile, Setsuna was having a worse go. She was saving her quirk for later use, or at least trying to. She remembered talking to her "fellow green bean", Izuku Midoriya, once about how he saved his for the second stage to avoid breaking himself too much. Given how the 2B girl lost blood anytime a limb came off, she tried exercising similar caution. She ad energy and agility from taking dance lessons as a kid and from years of exploration. She credited her family with that. Her mom was a paleontologist, her sister a herpetologist, and her dad was a doctor. It was only natural for the girl to be driven and enthusiastic. Still, one tended to get disheartened and contemplative when you could grow limbs back while others could generate tornadoes or shoot fire from their hands. As "sick and awesome" as she would describe her quirk, it was hardly as useful for combat or rescue. Still, she had made the best of it and would have to do so now, while the country watched. Furthermore, she was closer to the goal post than before and now, she wasn't alone. Nit that she ever let that on. The girl preferred not to get too enthusiastic, despite her flirtations. She doubted her track record in love and was happy with her friends.

Still, Setsuna knew that, even if she was worried about what the future held for her as a hero, or for her relationship with Jirou, she would put her best foot forward, and grow it back if anything went south. A scene caught her eye as, once more everyone in classes A and B seemed to have tags. Still, with the chaos occurring and the world watching, the laid-back lizard girl figured she might as well make a gambit. Like her favorite animal as a child, the velociraptor (she was still heartbroken that Jurassic Park was inaccurate, but she would cope), Setsuna saw a chance and rocketed an arm off, knocking two general department students into each other and claiming their tags. The girl couldn't help but smile. Not only because of her small victory, but for the satisfaction of how she earned the tags. It was like the nights she would play pool with Jirou, followed by a round of darts. The latter wasn't her strong suit, but her aunt had taught her billiards when she was eight. It took a few tries of not licking the balls because they "looked like big skittles", but Setsuna got it in the end.

As the lizard girl grabbed the two tags, however, a noise rang out from the direction of a tree, followed by another. Four humanoid-sized robots roared to life, taking measures to keep things fair. She wasn't sure why they were waking up for her and not for other couples, but she supposed she could ask UA's IT department about it later.

"Oh, come on!" she groaned as she pocketed the tags and assumed a stance. The lizard girl still couldn't remember how she had dealt with the giant robots at her entrance exam or at her first sports festival, but these couldn't be too hard if she somehow managed to take bigger ones down a year ago, with less training.

Setsuna made a bee-line for wherever her girlfriend was and decided she would give the girl one of the tags. If she already had one, then great. Someone else could have her extra. It was odd to think that one with a more versatile quirk would need her help, but heroes were always prepared for that inevitability. They didn't back down unless it was a reasonable tactical move, and they sure as hell didn't leave their girlfriends hanging. It felt like a blur as she let out her best roar and started punching robots. If her hand broke, the pain would be temporary. She could just replace it, after all. Recovery girl would probably chastise her for the blood loss.

"Just what I need. Two reckless green-haired kids who injure themselves. Just because it grows back doesn't mean you can be so rash, young lady."

Setsuna could hear it now. That was something she would deal with when she had to. For now, the game was still on.

"Hold on, Kyouka! I'm a-comin'!"

The green-haired girl ran like her clothes had caught fire until she found Jirou. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Time's up! The first stage is over! Everyone prepare to have your tags collected"

The first round of eliminations would take place any moment as the officials came to check for tags.


	8. Into the Labyrinth

The judges were making their way into the field. The robots had been deactivated and everyone was being examined for tags. Jirou looked at her empty hands with a mix of disbelief, disappointment, and frustration. Had it really ended so quickly? Was she really out this early in proceedings? All that training and interning and she had actually done worse this year. It irritated the dejected punk girl. She knew she shouldn't beat herself up, but it was hard not to. As much as she loved her girlfriend, Jirou wanted to be alone right now, ironically because she wouldn't get the chance to advance with her.

"I suppose I just have to watch from the stands." Jirou figured that might happen eventually anyway. She just wished she hadn't let the tag slip through her fingers again and again, her second chance to shine blowing away with it.

"Or you can perk up and get ready for the next event." Jirou heard a whisper, soft and familiar with a hint of smugness. The voice was accompanied by a small object being dropped into Jirou's palms, while the judges were checking elsewhere. It was small and soft, and sort of plasticine.

The punk girl looked at her girlfriend, eyes wide at the realization. Jirou had entertained the idea that Setsuna might hold her back, an idea that she was utterly sickened with guilt over. In the end, that goofy girl with the impractical quirk had saved Jirou's bacon, whether it wanted to be saved or not.

The earphone girl tucked the tag away and steadied herself for investigation.

"You know…I probably would have given that to you even if that was the only tag I found."

Jirou rolled her eyes but couldn't help but feel her chest tighten. This girl would gladly drop out if it meant her partner would get a chance, the very girlfriend who had the gall to question her abilities. The judges were making their way into the field. The robots had been deactivated and everyone was being examined for tags. The tears started flowing, no matter how hard Jirou fought. Tears of regret, frustration and gratitude.

"Hey, no need for the water works. It won't be that bad working with me, will it?"

Setsuna was teasing, but that made it hurt that much more.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be…hey…I know I probably seem like I might hold you back. But I want to hold you up. I know you'd do the same for me. We're a team, remember? Even if we end up against each other after this, we are in it together."

As the judges walked over the two girls got the go ahead and were ushered towards the rest of their classmates. All of class A and B had progressed, along with a few from the general and Support courses. Setsuna noticed Mei and tried not to let the bitterness take hold. She was just a student competing in the festival, like the rest of them, hoping for attention from the best in the business and another chance to get scouted.

"You didn't have to." Jirou whispered to her partner, using a jack to get her attention. The autotomy girl nudged back and smirked.

"Pfft. Of course, I did. Heck, if you really want to drop out, I could have given the tags to someone else and we could sulk together over poor choices and not being good enough."

"Why are you being so flippant about this…. why would you want to give your tag away too anyway?" It had already happened. Both girls would move forward. It should have come as a relief to Jirou, but things were still eating her up. The fact that she wasn't happier about this was one of them.

"Because…I mean…ok. I know it sounds dumb, but I want you to succeed. And if I can help that, then hell yeah, I will. Like I said. Lift you up rather than hold you back."

"What about you. You don't care."

"Of course, I do. I'm not doing this because I don't care. But it wouldn't be worth it if you weren't there with me. "

"If that's the case, them we are going on together. Too late to turn back now" Jirou punched the other girl gently, prompting a similar gesture in return. The unease was still there, but it had settled down for now.

As the failing participants were ushered out, the 100 who had advanced to the next event gathered up as they awaited to hear what they were in for. Everyone had given it their all, but only 100 were good enough to proceed. Jirou still felt guilt. She felt it for not being good enough to proceed without help. She felt terrible for doubting Setsuna. She felt terrible for not voicing those doubts. And yet, her girlfriend seemed to get it. What's more, the green-haired hero student held no animosity. If anything, she felt sorry for n leading her girlfriend towards doubt.

No matter what, Jirou was determined not to let Setsuna down. She would advance for her friends, for her family, and for this girl she felt undeserving of. Beyond that, Jirou would give it her all for herself. For her and Setsuna as a team. A hand squeeze later and she was back in the game. As the young couple linked fingers, familiar voice rang out as Midnight stepped onto the stage to congratulate everyone for a job well done.

"Great job, everyone. You really worked up a sweat and gave it your all. Your passion and vigor sings to me. Now then, you will head into the dome ahead for the next event. Cameras will be placed everywhere for the crowds to see. Otherwise it would all be rather boring."

Jirou pondered to herself what kind of event would be going on that required such a set up and why audiences would be expected to watch nothing while action was going on beyond their view. Midnight smirked as she pointed a riding crop at the monitor demonstrating what was to occur.

"The next event is Labyrinth. Not to be confused with Present Mic's favorite children's movie, this is meant to test your resolve and reasoning. Some of you have been involved in raids on villain strongholds, both in training exercises and in internships. This is meant to simulate that, as well as any deathtraps they might try to throw at you. Try on your own if you dare, but allegiances might be necessary of you wish to see the light of day again. This time, you have 15 minutes extra to get through the labyrinth and advance to the third and final event. Give it your all, and remember: Plus Ultra!"

The wording was overly dramatic, but the idea had been delivered loud and clear. Alliances would be made and broken here, potentially. This would be the place to really test how well Jirou and Setsuna worked together.

X

The buzzer had sounded in conjunction with Midnight's voice, followed by the all-too-familiar cadence of Present Mic on color commentary. It was assumed that he and Aizawa had monitors that they were looking at while doing so. Otherwise, they wouldn't really be able to see. Everyone had started as they ran through the maze.

"So? What's the plan?" Setsuna leaned in as she ran with her girlfriend. "Did you want to split up? See if we can cover more ground and meet in the middle?"

"How would we even meet up if we can't keep contact?" The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Look…We might end up competing against each other. It's unavoidable."

"I know. I'm not completely clueless." A twinge of worry and frustration was present in Setsuna's voice. Jirou had hoped things were settled, but apparently even her girlfriend was on edge. She should have realized that Setsuna wouldn't be completely emotionally oblivious. It had hit Jirou like a brick. This girl was just as anxious too, and her calm, fun-loving armor couldn't deflect how observant she was of the inner turmoil her Jirou was facing.

"I never said you were."

"But you think it, sometimes right?" Setsuna averted her gaze. She felt she was being rude, hypocritical even, especially after everything she had previously said. She didn't like just turning around and accusing her girlfriend of such things. However, her demeanor as of late seemed off and Setsuna had been racking her brain thinking of what was wrong.' Unfortunately, said organ tended to jump to this conclusion in particular.

"Hey…I know you love me still. I still love you. I mean, as much as two high school kids can. But please, have more faith in me. I have all of mine in you."

The pain increased as Jirou stopped in her tracks. All of it was coming back. Was this really the time to air everything out? There were likely cameras watching all of this, and to have relationship drama broadcast, it wasn't ideal for the punk girl. She wanted to just tell her girlfriend to drop it. However, from the look on the green-haired girl's face it was evident she wanted to but couldn't. Both girls had stopped in their tracks, tuning out the sound of Present Mic's loud voice.

Jirou stepped forward but ended up stepping on a floor panel she had previously missed, causing the wall Setsuna was leaning against to turn around with heron it.

"Oh shit, what?!"

The distressed musician cried out in alarm. "Setsu!"

Jirou reached out, slamming into the wall with a thud as she cradled her head. Nursing the resulting headache and regaining her composure a bit more, the earphone jack girl used her quirk to listen in, seeing if she could hone in on her girlfriend's voice. The other girl should have theoretically been on the other side had she not automatically rushed off. Sure enough, Setsuna had not budged.

"Still there?"

"Yeah. I must have triggered a trap or something." The green-haired girl hissed softly. They didn't really know what they were in for. Sound based traps were something villains could implement, so that would be something to be alert over.

Jirou sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. The guilt was back, all because she was losing her focus and had let her feelings get the better of her. The girl looked up to see how high the labyrinth wall went. It was too high too climb but didn't go all the way to the ceiling. She would have to try. It was their best bet of reuniting and getting out of this together. Extending her jacks as far as they would go, the hearing hero snaked them over the wall and towards the sound of Setsuna's voice.

"Grab on but be gentle, k? I'm going to look for another wall switch."

"Thanks." Setsuna's response was more subdued than her usual energetic take, though that vigor was bubbling up underneath.

"Hey…. I…" The young usician spoke, hesitating as she tried to put the words to her feelings.

"You don't have to cry again. It's cool. I…"

"Is it really? I doubted you the closer we got to the sports festival. I…Everyone has their quirks so in tune with one another. They have combo moves, strategies. We…we."

"We don't have that. But we have all we really need."

"But what if we're in battle? When we're pros? How will we function as a team? How will w"

"You're sounding like Midoriya now. Easy…look. I don't know what the future holds. I always thought we could just tackle it together. We still can, we just have a way to go I guess." Neither girl could see the other at the moment, but Jirou could already judge by intonation the facial expressions her girlfriend was probably making. If she was being honest, Jirou would place the accuracy of these guesses at between 65 and 75%. Setsuna continued.

"I'm willing to keep trying until we're totally in sync. How about you?"

"Yeah." It was all Jirou could say. Really, it felt like that was all she had to say.

"That's my girl." Unseen to her girlfriend, the green-haired girl smiled, holding onto the wall and dragging her hand along the smooth surface until she felt something. "Oh. Hold on."

Setsuna stopped. Tugging on Jirou's earlobe as a way of getting her attention.

"Hey, not so rough. Geez!"

"Sorry. Just saying, there's a fork in the path. I could try to explore it, but I would have to let go."

"Yeah, I would rather not lose you. Hold on. I'll listen in."

Retracting one of her jacks, Jirou listened for any sort of mechanisms she could find in the wall. There had to be some sort of motor if the walls were hooked up to a system. Maybe that could lead her to a switch. Like a safe cracker with a stethoscope, the punk girl kept at it until she found something. Pay dirt. She knocked on the wall a few times and found an odd piece of wall. There was a hinge. Perfection.

"I think I found a way to you. I'm going to need my jack back though."

Setsuna laughed softly, offering it back. However, she had one last thing to do.

"Hey. Before you take it back…"

The lizard girl planted a soft kiss on the appendage, causing it to twitch and writhe like a decapitated snake in its death throes.

"Ack! There are cameras, Sets!" the punk girl yelped hoarsely, her heart racing at the sudden and affectionate gesture.

"Consider this a kiss cam." Setsuna joked, though her tone soon calmed down. "Guess this means we're cool."

"You're always cool to me." Jirou blushed, pushing her jacks together once they were both retracted. The cameras didn't even matter that much, even if they did make her feel awkward. What mattered more is that despite her childish fears, Jirou had a girlfriend that would stand by her no matter what. She would sacrifice her own chances if it meant Jirou could advance, and she would speak up if Jirou ever acted ridiculous. The punk girl always tried to keep a level head, but she was still young and insecure and new to the dating game. She was figuring things out. However, she wasn't figuring them out alone, and as soon as that clicked, the young musician was ready to focus on the task at hand. She felt for a switch and finally found one, slamming her fist into it with a smirk and running towards her awaiting partner.

"Well that was dumb."

"I dunno. Pretty good construction for a maze." The green-haired girl smiled and surveyed the area. They had seen a few people pass by as they navigated the labyrinth, but were on their own so far, Time was ticking away, so they would have to book it and hope for the best.

"No. Not that. Ny behavior. I was being a big dumb weirdo and not like myself and…"

Setsuna grabbed Jirou's hand to stop her. Fingers pressed themselves along the other girl's lips. They had grown so close in what little time they had been together. Neither could have ever imagined being a couple before that Valentine's day. Now being apart just felt wrong.

"Hey. Chill. We hashed it out. You won't get rid of me that easily. I like you too much."

"Greeeeat." Jirou smirked, putting on a sarcastic tone. However, her voice cracked a little, allowing more of her vulnerability to trickle out. With a sigh, the purple-haired rocker smiled.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Sweet talker. Come on. We have a labyrinth to conquer."

Jirou nodded and held onto her girlfriend's hand, deciding not to leave her side. If they were a team, they couldn't afford to get separated. They had already eaten up close to 10 minutes, so time was of the essence. Furthermore, even if splitting up could prove a sound strategy, neither really wanted to risk leaving the other behind. Not now. It was together, or not at all.

"By the way, Kyouka." Setsuna whispered softly into her partner's ear, sending a shiver up her spine as the butterflies fluttered to life.

"Y-yeah?"

"You remind me of the babe. ~"

"What ba…Oh fuck off." Jirou rolled her eyes once more and smiled, being met by a huge shit-eating grin from the lizard girl. The earphone girl punched her girlfriend's arm playfully.

"Ow! Not so hard, jack attack. Arms don't grow back you know." The autotomy girl rubbed her arm and feigned injury.

"Must you always be such a pain in the ass?" Jirou fired back. She loved her back-and-forths with her girlfriend. She loved the way they could converse about music and heroics and different topics and just talk for hours. Jirou never expected to fall in love this young, but she imagined it felt a lot like this.

"Oh, it's literally on my resume. Lead the way, Sheseus."

Jirou stared blankly at her girlfriend for a moment and shook her head.

"That was lame. Come on."

She had to admit, Greek Mythology was not something she expected her goofy amateur paleontologist to reference, but it seemed apt. The hearing hero would let this one slide, for now.

X

It was down to the home stretch. It felt like neither would make it, but with Jirou's ear jacks and some creative use of autotomy to divert some of the booby traps, the duo found themselves in an open room. Voices and faces had come and gone, like ghosts of competitors past. While they weren't in last place, Setsuna and Jirou were definitely not in first either. Still, maybe 50 were expected to make it to the next round, and that was being generous. It would likely be less. Either way, their confidence was still sitting fairly high. Mei Hatsume had passed eight minutes prior, utilizing some of her "babies" to navigate. The maze was becoming a bit cluttered by various markers, meant to keep track of there various students had been and where they were going.

The hearing hero and the reptilian rescuer were closer to the end before they knew it and they could feel their victory coming into reach. They may not have perfected any team-up moves yet, but the couple had proven that if they put their heads together, they could handle anything.

Sure enough, a grinding mechanical noise surrounded the two as several nearby statues roared to life, resembling stylized depictions of the minotaur. If this was modeled after a villain layer, they certainly went more for camp than malice, even if both were well and truly present.

"Well this is on the nose." Setsuna groaned, hoping things could be easy so close to the end. Both she and Jirou knew that wouldn't be the case.

"Ugh. Again, with the robots. We don't have time for this." The purple-haired girl sighed, her annoyance palpable at this point, especially with the exit so close. Hanging over the doorframe, like the sword of Damocles, was the timer. It was almost mocking them in a way.

"Go. I'll run around as a diversion. Head for the exit. I…might catch up."

Jirou's thoughts were interrupted by her girlfriend's words once more. It was way too easy to forget that despite her goofy personality, this was a girl who wanted to be a hero too. She had that drive and that passion to help others and it was shining through here.

"Nope. We're not doing that." Jirou hissed, observing the advancing minotaur robots, looking for an opening. She knew she could take a few out, but not all of them, especially if they didn't want to waste more time. A few people had run past them. It irked her that none of them had helped, but she didn't recognize most of them. They weren't hero students, that she was sure of.

"Kyouka. I want you to."

"Don't be so selfish. I filled our quota for the day." The purple-haired rocker snapped back, a defiant smile on her face. She could feel her heart speed up, beating like a drum. It was a concert. A call to arms.

"Did you forget what you said?" Her eyes locked with Setsuna as she gently tugged on the girl's arm. A few seconds later, the lizard girl blushed and nodded. Taking the hint, she shed that arm as Jirou threw it into the air as a distraction and grabbed onto her girlfriend for dear life.

Setsuna smiled brightly as she rushed towards the exit, minotaurs in delayed pursuit.

"Together."

"Or not at all."

The buzzer sounded, signifying the end of the second event, right as the last few entrants made it out. Kyouka and Setsuna were not among them.

Instead, they made it to the exit with time to spare. Panting and smiling, the two sweaty teenagers exchanged one last look in celebration. Jirou offered a victory sign as her partner in crimefighting grew back the discarded arm with a thumbs-up of her own. They had made it, and now they only had one event left.


	9. The Final Buzzer

Congrats to the final fifty! You kids have shown you have a lot of fighting spirit and have grown so much since last year. You are sure to make it big when you are older, but can you last in our final event? The Battle Royale?

Midnight s exuberant voice rang out, commanding attention as she pointed her riding crop out at the assembled competitors.

The final leg had begun. This was the moment they had been preparing for. Many of the hero class students had already experienced internships and work study, while others had not gotten the same level of experience. Some, such as Todoroki and Bakugou had earned their provisional licenses after the rest of their classmates and had to play catch up.

Setsuna and Kyouka were more fortunate than that. Still, they did not get involved in events like the Yakuza raid or study with top heroes. That certainly did not halt the progress both girls had made.

They had hero names. They had super moves. They were getting their names out there and would be contenders in their own right, And now, they were fighting against several others in a battle royale to see who would come out on top. It was the perfect stage to show how far everyone had come, here at the midway point of their UA experience.

There were fifty competitors left. Classes A and B, plus Mei Hatsume and a few others were among the competitors. A mix of students from the general and support programs were looking to make a name for themselves. Shinsou had managed to do just that and was now training to be a hero. It only made sense that others from the general department would take inspiration from him and aim to follow suit, even in their second year.

Kyouka snapped back to reality as Setsuna kept her eyes glued to the 18+ hero.

So in summation, knock as many competitors out of the ring as possible. Teamwork is encouraged, much like in the field. However, only one of you can go for the gold. SO get out there and fight fight fight!

The arena was large, about the size of the area Kyouka and her classmates entered when taking their license exams. Setsuna had taken hers at a different location but the same general rules applied.

SO, what s our game plan, Kyouka Cabana? Ok, first, that is not going to be a thing. Second of all, we use some of those moves we were working on.

I know heartbeat fuzz won t work without your support gear, but we can make due.  
Up the punch? Up the punch.

Unfortunately for those who had gotten this far and aimed to make more of a name for themselves at their second sports festival, they had been thrown from the ring fairly easily. There were a number of impressive quirks on display but unfortunately, they weren t much competition compared to the hero course or Mei Hatsume. There was more experience there and it showed.

With the fat trimmed, Kyouka was up against alot of heavy hitters from her class and Setsuna s. The green-haired girl in question stood back to back with her girlfriend, who had snaked a jack around the other girl s arm.

Things had taken a different turn this year, and while the heaviest hitters from the previous year had only grown more formidable, those who failed to stand out then were not holding back now.

Kyouka Jirou smiled at her girlfriend.  
Hey, remember my move you gave the stupid name? No. I remember the one I gave an awesome name though. Bae blade! Right. That. Now remember...those cheerleader costumes.

Setsuna smirked and blushed, thinking up the perfect retort when it hit her.  
Ok, not only are you hot, but you are super brilliant. How are you not in the top of your class? Shut up and do it. On my mark.

Setsuna knelt down and held her hands out as her girlfriend ran with singular purpose. They had barely practiced this move. By all accounts, it should have fell apart. However, in this moment, the two girls were as one. They were certainly different, but they had grown to be in sync.

Jirou span through the air, extending her jacks like flailing whips.

Aoyama managed to knock Tokoyami out, aiming for Tooru as she used her reflective move. It was a long shot and he often cared more fore flashiness and razzle dazzle than strategy like Izuku. Yet everyone had come this far, inspired by their teachers and each other. Taking out two foes at once however, even if he had strengthened his quirk and its versatility, had proven to take its toll on the twinkling knight and that split second was all that was needed for him to be eliminated.

Kyouka and Setsuna worked together to stand their ground and do their best. Separately, they had come far, but together, they would soar that much higher.

Setsuna leaned on Kaminari, pretending to be woozy as she swooned towards the electric teen. He was taken off guard as his friend s girlfriend leaned against him, and he was sent to the ground when her arm grew back rapidly, like a jack-in-the-box straight to his jaw.

I don t need this anymore, dude. You can have it. The green teen smiled as she took up one of her discarded arms and wielded it like a bat. It wouldn t be enough to knock the boy away, but it definitely kept him off guard.

Jirou had to smirk to herself. Goofy though she was, Setsuna was no slouch and could put in the work when it came to strategy and keeping her enemies on their toes. She had learned from watching others that even the most seemingly dull quirks could prove useful if applied well.

Jirou herself was able to use support gear to best utilize her quirk, but she was just as skilled now without it.

Unfortunately, the battle was just heating up and no amount of practice would secure the win against the heaviest hitters. In this case, the green and purple pair would have to withdraw strategically while the powerhouses clashed. It was hard to keep track of it in such a large, even if it did have boundaries for ring outs. Luckily, for the benefit of the competitors and audience alike, eliminations were announced as they happened.

The battle was an inaccurate gauge of powers still, as the support items that helped many of the hero students channel their abilities were not utilized, save for support students. It wasn t illegal per se, it just made it easier.

Several strong competitors were unfortunately knocked out by others, whether it be Iida s elimination of Honenuki, or his subsequent ring out at the hands of Reiko Yanagi, it was a close and heated battle that waged on for about an hour and a half. At least that s what it seemed like. Staying in the game was a higher priority than timekeeping, especially with so many formidable opponents. There were plenty of hard hitters to focus on, though far more competitors like Kyouka and Setsuna, so they had to stay alert. Even the green-haired jokester had her head in the game, a fact that didn t escape her girlfriend.

Hey so if we make it down to the wire and it s just us, are we going to compete?

We ll worry about that later. For now, we re a team.

As Setsuna made use of her quirk to distract and elude enemies, she looked at her partner, thinking back to that conversation the two had shared during preparations. Given the nature of this battle, individual preparations were not necessary, though those eliminated did have spare time until they were ushered back for the award ceremony.

A buzzer blared, signifying that the halfway point had been reached. Already, the competition had been narrowed down to 18 after the eliminations of Mina and Ibara. Not long after that, Momo had been eliminated while seizing on an opportunity. She managed to take Todoroki out with her, but Bakugou had remained, breaking the cloth she had used to bind and drag her fellow recommended student with. Thus, all in that category were eliminated.

Meanwhile Shishida had taken the initiative and went after Kyouka and Setsuna, apologizing for any rudeness, but insisting it was for the sake of competition. Setsuna delivered a running kick to his jaw while Kyouka plugged one of her jacks into the beast hero s ear. The other earphone was used to jab into Bakugou s fist. It was a risk to the hearing hero, allowing the blond explosion wielder to grab her and putting her hearing at risk. It paid off though, as she stuck her fingers in her ears to help with the plan. Her body shook as the reverberations rocked through her core and transmitted into Shishida s ear, deafening him and providing an opening for her and Setsuna to launch him out of the ring.

Likewise, Itsuka had seized on the opportunity and went after bakugou. His focus was off Jirou now, allowing her to recover, though he would come after her next.  
Tsuburaba was pinned to a wall by Pony s horns just as Kuroiro popped out of Tsuyu s shadow and threw the frog girl into his classmate for a double elimination. He had used a similar tactic to eliminate Mina, albeit using her sclera as a hiding place.. He was lucky that he had stealth on his side, as both girls were formidable otherwise.

Shoji tried to contain the hero of darkness but was knocked off his feet. Uraraka similarly squared off with Kirishima, with the two trading blows without the use of their quirks for a while before the zero-g girl tack Sorry for the cheap shot. I just wanted to join in on the fun too. The green haired girl smiled as she cracked her knuckles. By the way, I copied this off another green bean. Check it out. Horned Toad Surprise!

WIth that, Setsuna broke one of her fingers and yanked it off, squirting blood into her opponent s eyes. It was another cheap tactic, but given how her homeroom teacher also used his own blood as an attack and her friend s boyfriend could literally control others against their will, she correctly assumed it would work out, legally at least. It still hurt.

Sadly, this tribute move soon brought the attention of its inspiration. A blur of lightning bounced around as Izuku snapped his fingers while upside down and sent Setsuna flying with a shockwave, eliminating her.

SETSUNA!

Kyouka was taken aback. She knew it was likely to happen and that it was just a competition. They would still get opportunities to shine outside of this. Still, it spurred the young punk on as she ran forward, catapulting herself with her jacks as she delivered a kick to uraraka and a flurry of jabs at Kirishima. She needed to clear the board if she wanted to take on Izuku. He was a formidable opponent despite being one of the sweetest guys she knew. He had become a good friend in his own right.

In this moment, however, he was a hurdle for her to overcome and she would give it her all. The girl assumed a fighting stance, jacks at the ready as she faced her three opponents. Just then, a loud explosion rang out, followed by determined screaming. A very unfortunate Komori was in the way as she was rocketed out of the ring by blur of blonde hair and firepower.

NOT SO FAST, DEKU! I WANT A PIECE OF YOU! screamed a very determined Bakugou as he rocketed towards his rival. He was met with interference, though, as Itsuka was not finished with the boy. led her opponent and used her quirk on him, releasing him to the ground after he was a sufficient height up. Unfortunately for her, he triggered his quirk at the last moment and got up, cracking his neck with a grin.

Setsuna took advantage of the diversion and ran into the middle, launching Ochako into Kirishima with a running kick that she called the clever girl . It wasn t enough to knock either opponent out, but it certainly took them by surprise.

Kyouka would have to focus on the opponents in front of her that Setsuna had singled out.

You idiot. she whispered under her breath as she steeled her nerves and launched herself into the air as high as she could. Jumping wasn t her strong suit, but her training at UA had helped her grow so much, as it had all her classmates and peers.

Landing with a thud, and without her wrist mounted speakers, the hearing hero delivered a weaker, unplugged version of one of her super moves.

Heartbeat fuzz: Acoustic.

Uraraka dodged at the last moment, barely. However, Kirishima had fallen backwards and was caught by one of Kyouka s jacks, coiling around his leg like a more, he used his quirk to make himself sturdier and harder to move. He loosened his classmate s grip but had to contend with a volley of sharp jabs.

Kyouka turned her head as Ochako descended, ready to eliminate her friend and music teacher. The earphone jack user dodged, delivering a gut punch that took her opponent off guard. Ochako recovered though and put distance between them while Kirishima charged them both.

Sorry, girls, but I am going to be harder to take down than that. Ugh. A pun, really? Kyouka sighed. It was like Setsuna was still there.

Meanwhile, Ochako, sighed as well. SHe was disappointed a little by how easy Kirishima made it. She knew how capable he was and he was just handing her a win. Focusing her center like Gunhead had taught her, the gravity girl grabbed her friend by the arm and activated her quirk.

Thanks for the assist, Kirishima. And sorry to both of you. But you were reckless here.

Once more, Kirishima was sent into the air, flailing with surprise and frustration. Hey. Come on, this again? You know it won t hurt mEEEEE!

Much like the rock chunks from her battle with Bakugou the previous year, Ochako sent Kirishima hurtling like a meteor towards Kyouka.

Holy shit! Kyouka rolled out of the way as the spiky-haired torpedo sped towards her before crashing into the wall, out of bounds. It was certainly a close call. Shooting out a jack again, the punk girl grabbed Ochako s ankle and pulled her in.

Hey!

The rosy cheeked astronaut soon found herself thrown from the ring alongside her friend and latest vanquished foe. They looked at each other dazedly and said hey before both were escorted back into the waiting quarters with the others who were eliminated.

Kyouka took a deep breath. Two down, eight left. There were still several formidable opponents left but the rocker girl had come this far and wasn t backing down yet.

Well, lizard lips, wish me luck. And with that, Kyouka ran headstrong into battle

X

Yaaaaachooo Setsuna sneezed mid yawn as she rubbed the spot where Recovery girl had kissed her. A few bruises, scrapes and some blood loss had occurred, but nothing terrible.

Man, did anyone get the name of that truck that hit me? she chuckled. She knew his name, but humor is how she dealt with such an embarrassing defeat. She had come so far but perhaps it was just dumb luck or coasting by on her girlfriend s talents. There just wasn t much competing with the big leaguers. Izuku, as sweet and awkward as he was, had a lot of power and strategy to back him up. How could a lizard compare to a force of nature like that.

The green-haired girl placed some candy in her mouth as she hung out in the lounge, waiting for the battle to end. She wondered if Kyouka would swing by next. The anticipation was killing her. A few more people had come by. First it was Komori, singed and sore. After that, a few more came. Then Kirishima and Ochako, whom Setsuna herself had prepared to take on.

She waved and made small talk with them, finding out that one eliminated the other, only to get knocked out by Kyouka. The wave kept coming until there were only three people remaining. Not a hair or earlobe was seen of Kyouka.

Where are you, babe? Setsuna whined before having a thought.

Wait...Does that mean?

Student Tokage! Beep boop. Move your fleshy tush. We want to give you another once over.

The autotomy user groaned. SHe was feeling fine. It s not like she broke any bones. Not permanently at least. She had a mild healing factor and limb recovery to take care of that. Before she could object though, a voice rang out over the loudspeaker.

There we have it, folks! It s over! We have our champion. Izuku Midoriya! He and the two runners up will be healed on site and allowed to prepare for the awards ceremony

Mina Ashido could be heard squealing with glee at the news that her boyfriend had finally reached first place, after coming so far.

Izuku Midoriya, Itsuka Kendou, Kyouka Jirou. Please get into the fresh uniforms provided for you after being healed and report to the center ring.

Setsuna s eyes widened. Izuku seemed deserving and her best friend securing second? That was cause for celebration. But Kyouka? Setsuna was beside herself. Her girlfriend had been eliminated. But she had also gotten so far as to net the bronze. That was an accomplishment in and of itself. She had only wished she was there to have seen it happen, and to be by her side.

Good going babe. Guess I ll see you soon.

Setsuna got up, trailed by annoyed, beeping robots as she ran to greet the victors.

X

Kyouka stood on the 3rd place pedestal. Her face was blank in disbelief. Of all the competitors, many of whom were far more capable, she had landed the could hardly grasp it. Ultimately she was thrown from the ring by Itsuka, another surprise for sure. The gloating from monoma about a member of class B taking the silver was more than the punk rocker could tolerate but luckily, relief was on hand in the form of Awase.

All Might, far less mighty than he was at their first sports festival, bestowed the medals. Despite no longer being number one, he had opted to do so. Endeavor had declined, in light of recent circumstances. In fact, the Number One hero was unable to even make it to the Sports Festival. It certainly would have been a surprise to see his son eliminated towards the end. Shouto didn t mind himself. He still had further to go, but he could not help but feel pride toward Momo for eliminating him the way she did. The first place winner,Izuku Midoriya, couldn t help but cry. He had made it, though he felt somewhat awkward being the only boy to have made it into the final three, as if he was the odd one out.

Kyouka noticed this and snaked a jack towards the green-haired hero, poking him lightly and giving him a thumbs up. Mina was silent, though it took all her energy not to blurt out her enthusiasm.

Speaking of spunky girls with big mouths, Setsuna stood by, rubbing her arm where she had recently shed it. The green-haired girl was being trailed by medics who wished to get her to the sick bay to recover more. Pffft. I m fine. Recovery girl kissed my boo boos and I went night night. Come on. I need to see this.

Kyouka shook her head and smiled as her girlfriend was shushed for her loudness.

Before the purple haired rocker could receive her medal, she pressed a hand to All Might s chest. He was more haggard and skeletal than her dad, like Iggy Pop if he were formerly the world s greatest hero.  
Wait...I can t accept it yet.

Before All Might could say anything more, Jirou gave him a look. The taller man nodded and allowed her to do what she needed.

The bronze medalist shot her jacks out and grabbed Setsuna gently, pulling her in quickly for a kiss.

The green-haired lass was caught off guard, almost yelping when she was pulled into the arms and lips of her partner. It was sudden and electrifying like a lightning strike, a testament to Kyouka skills with her quirk and her growth from being timid about PDA to pulling this off. If Setsuna didn t know any better, she thought her legs would give out from under her.

Together or not at all. The violet haired punk smirked as she broke the kiss and grabbed the bronze medal from her neck, wrapping it around her one hand as it held Setsuna s.

Yeah.

The two girls, in a bit of an unorthodox move, raised their hands, joint in solidarity as the mutual holders of third place. After deliberation, the judges allowed it. It was one of the highlights of the sports festival that year, eliciting a strong response of cheers and squeals. Mina would later tease her boyfriend for not doing that for her, even though his quirk wasn t as suited for it.

Love gave these girls strengths and through their bond and determination, they had gone from third stringers to MVP s. 


	10. Decisions and Dinosaurs

As the celebrations died down, everyone had headed back home. The Third year stage had proven to be quite a show as well, finishing off the entire spectacle. A few familiar faces from other schools had been spotted in the crowd now that the second years of UA had time to recover.

It all ended with a ceremony where the victors stood together with their medals and their peers, shouting Plus Ultra to the skies in hopes that their spirits would resonate the world over.

After everything had rapped, the second year hero students had a series of smaller togethers before everyone returned to their own business.

Setsuna sat on the floor against Jirou's bed, tuning a guitar as her girlfriend rested her chin upon her curly green tresses. She had taken off her uniform shirt to reveal a green tank top, adorned with a cartoonish baby dinosaur, fat and stout with a half-lidded expression and smug grin.

"Hey. Remember the joint exercises?

"Which ones? There were a few."

"Four on Four. With Sir Shinsalot."

"Pretty sure he hates you calling him that."

"Pffft. Yanagi calls him that. Where do you think she got the idea"

"But yeah. I remember. I didn't realize you could do have the things you could do with your quirk. Or that you were recommended."

"They never really came up."

"Setsuna...you can do more with your quirk than you showed off at the Sports Festival, and you are a lot smarter than you let on. Why don't you show that off more?"

The lizard girl stared thoughtfully into her coffee mug, adorned with a multitude of colorful lizards in a chaotic pattern.

"Element of surprise is part of it. But I… I just like to good around and play with my lizards and hang with my girlfriend. I suppose I should take things more seriously. I owe it to the hero that got me in and my parents."

"Aren't they all scientists?"

"My dad's a doctor. My sister and mom are scientists. I like it myself, but I guess I always kind of wanted to make my own mark. Save people. Not just follow in my family's footsteps. For a while, I worried I would disappoint them."

"That's something I can relate to. I had to tell my folks I wanted to be a hero and not a musician. Like, I enjoy music. It will always be a part of me. And there are heroes that are chefs or models or radio hosts and stuff...but I want to help people. Blaze my own trail."

"Right? For what it's worth, I want to meet your folks."

"You will. Maybe this weekend."

"I'd like that. But anyway, there is more I guess. I don't know why I held back. I am a force to be reckoned with, but like, I still lost prettily handily. I have a ways to go. And like, Recommended or not."

"So...you held back because of me. I….I don't like that." the purple haired teen frowned. She had worried about both of them falling behind but she knew her girlfriend was more than capable. Plus they should have been able to be honest with one another.

"I know. I know. It makes no sense and I trained too hard to do that. I don't know why"

"I don't get it. Just...be open, ok?"

"Gotcha. We both have to be."

The green haired girl put away her guitar and leapt into bed with her purple-haired partner.

"Now shut up. It's cuddle time."

"Ok, demandsaurus rex, but don't tell me to shut up. That's my line." Jirou chuckled as she lightly jabbed Setsuna with her jacks, lightly tickling her.

Setsuna giggle and snorted as she pounced upon her prey.

"Ack! No fair!"

"You'll live." Jirou snorted back. The night went on like this until both girls passed out in the wee hours of the evening.

X

Classes resumed as usual. Draft picks came in from the Sports Festival, like in their first year, though this time, other factors had come into play. People like Deku, Battle Fist, and Red Riot were known already by now from their efforts with other heroes. Pros might have been very busy folk, but they still networked and names of young up-and-comers were bandied about.

The Sports Festival certainly helped that too. The progress the hero students made had been astounding and heroes had taken notice, even in a changing world with big game changers like the Yakuza Incident and All Night's retirement on people's lips.

One of the hot topics for many was the 3rd place student from class 2A and her girlfriend from its sister class, 2B. A lot of airplay went to the story of the crazy underdog who impressed last year and showed even more promise this year.

Still, even if they had shared the bronze, Kyouka and Setsuna made their mark with their display in front of the cameras.

"KYOUKA! KYOUKA LOOK! RYUKYU REQUESTED ME! AND GODZILLO! I AM FREAKING OUT!"

"Hey. Calm down. I know you love the whole reptile thing, but don't limit yourself too much."

"I know. I know. Costume and hobbies aside, I have to go with the best opportunities for me and my quirk to grow. Hey, did you get an offer from the Throne hero, Ska Boss?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"So did I. I guess we make quite a pair, huh."

The two had fought, proving that together they could make quite the team. Granted, thoughts of making it solo had crossed both girls minds. Teams might have been making a resurgence and in a world without All Might, the paradigm was shifting strongly. However, teammates could still operate independently, as evidenced by Kamui Woods, Edge Shot and Mt. Lady.

What's more, the fact that both students had placed so well in the Sports Festival really drove home how far they had come as individuals and as a couple. It almost made Jirou's head spin.

"So um...wow…"

The realization of it all, and that she kissed someone on live tv had sent the purple haired rocker into a tizzy. She may have had the heart of a hero and a punk rock attitude, but below the surface, she still had her self consciousness and awkwardness. Not to Midoriya levels, though he had admittedly improved. Nonetheless, Jirou was blushing intensely as her Earjacks weighed bashfully. She bit down on one and tried to hide her eyes beneath her bangs.

"What's wrong, Jack Attack? Do you need a bottle of water? Maybe a juicebox" the lizard girl grinned, sticking out a forked tongue to accentuate her remarks. The hearing hero stuck her tongue out in return while rolling her eyes.

"Yeah yeah. My heart must be racing. I just… I still can't believe I kissed you on live tv."

"Not getting cold feet are you?" Once again, Setsuna smirked, though it subsided as a blush crossed her cheeks. "If it helps...It sure as heck took me off guard. I'm kind of embarrassed myself. Not that I regret it. I really don't. I probably should have taken things more seriously in stage 3 though. I almost feel like I didn't earn that victory."

"I had time to think on it, and I certainly did. And if I earned it you did too."

The green haired girl smiled and ruffled her girlfriend's hair. Jirou blushed and chuckled, in the grips of good spirits as she lightly shoved her girlfriend.

The punk girl still got flustered by Setsuna's behavior. However she had gotten used to it. She would sass back about growing resigned to it but truth is, she loved it. She loved Setsuna for it, and she had grown more confident about it over all.

"Knock it off. Anyway, have you decided where to intern?"

"Not yet. Still freaking out over the offers I got. Gah! I'm so torn I could" Setsuna was about to pop into multiple pieces until Jirou placed a jack on her shoulder.

"Please don't. Anyway, glad that it's going off without a hitch this time."

Setsuna pouted over her girlfriend being a spoilsport but quickly recovered.

"Yeah. Things have gotten hectic in our first year alone, between the league of villains, the hero killer, and that Yakuza thing. Man, things really are changing." Green eyes shifted to the sky as their owner twirled some strands of hair in thought. Just then an idea occurred.

"Hey. I had a thought."

Jirou smirked at the lizard girl, arms folded. "Not a good start then.

"No. I'm serious. Shush. We should discuss internships over dinner."

Jirou's stomach growled, almost on cue. She didn't realize how hungry she had gotten. It had been a fairly fast paced day and everyone had gotten out early to get their preparations made.

"I'm game. Anything you had in mind?"

Setsuna said nothing, merely smiling as the excitement filled her body. She had just the place and Jirou was about to regret her openness.

X

The two sat in a pizzeria/ arcade combo designed for children and families. This sort of establishment was big in the 1990s for Americans but had fallen to the wayside. However they had undergone a sort of retro resurgence some time ago and a few had become regular haunts of people such as Setsuna Tokage.

"I hate you." Jirou groaned, head in her hands as shrieking children ran by with tickets.

"Donf fye" Setsuna muffled out as she shoveled chain restaurant quality pizza into her mouth. It was meat lovers.

"Don't talk with your mouthful."

Setsuna swallowed and grinned, cheese on her sharp teeth before she used her tongue to clean it off.

"Sorry , I thought this would be a fun little date for us to discuss our internship plans."

"How is mediocre cuisine and screeching children a date, or a good place to discuss shit?"

"Well aren't you an epicurean now. This place is alright! It's got awesome food, games, and a sick animatronic dinosaur band."

"You do know you are in high school right? And on recommendation too" Jirou fired back as she tilted back a rasumen.

"You're jealous about that, huh?"

"More surprised really. Why are we here again? There are better places. Like the dorms."

Jirou loved Setsuna. She was funny, smart, and skilled and despite her bad puns and embarrassing innuendos, she was one of the sweetest people the class a students met. Her behavior could be quite vexing though and she wished the other girl could express some more maturity at times.

Granted both girls were still so young, but they had a lot riding on their futures and these internships would be an important, if not familiar step towards that.

Setsuna looked at the children around them, wearing various hero clothes and playing with toys.

One little boy came up to the two holding a plush dinosaur. He looked a bit like a dinosaur himself, a mess of red hair on a raptor like head.

"Oh….Uh."

Jirou was surprised. She didn't know what he wanted and she wanted to talk to her girlfriend and eat the pizza she was currently picking at. Setsuna picked up her slack.

"Heeeey. I like your dinosaur little dude. He looks a lot like ya."

The raptor boy got starstruck and bashful, looking away as she spoke.

"Oh, uh thanks. She's a she actually. I named her Tokage. After you."

Both girls were surprised by this, but listened nevertheless. The dinosaur was rather new, Setsuna noticed. He must have just won it. She moved the convo forward.

"O-oh? You saw the sports festival?"

"YEAH! YOU WERE SO COOL! I LIKED THE WAY YOU AND THE EAR GIRL KICKED BUTT! Kissing is weird and I don't get it but YOU WERE BOTH SO COOL! I said that already. S-sorry."

"Ear girl has a name. I'm Jirou. Nice to meet you, man." The purple-haired rocker smiled and offered a hand. The bashful raptor boy froze in place but quickly took the hand and shook it furiously before pulling it away.

Setsuna took the opportunity to reach into her purse and pull out two of her own toy dinosaurs.

"What's your name, little dude?"

"Oh. Um...Kyoryu…Kyoryu Tanaka."

"Well Thanks-kun, do you have a phone?"

The little boy was a bit taken aback, confused, and nervous, but he took his phone out with a nod.

"Can I see it?"

Setsuna smiled as the boy averted his eyes and handed over his mobile device. Looking to her girlfriend, Setsuna winked. Jirou had no clue what was going on at first but soon caught on.

"Oh."

Setsuna handed a dinosaur to Jirou and positioned Kyoryu in between her and Jirou. All three were holding dinosaurs, though Setsuna also detached an arm to hold the phone up for a selfie. It was not the most responsible use of her quirk or her provisional license, but she thought it was a good reason. Nevertheless, she made sure it wasn't too out in the open.

'"Say" The green haired girl started, but instead of finishing with cheese, she drew stares with a pterodactyl screech.

Jirou was used to this by now so she merely smiled and gave a peace sign while her girlfriend and their new fan made dinosaur noises. It took a few tries but they got some good shots.

When the selfies were done, Setsuna's arm returned and the girl wiped up any mess left with supplies from her purse. She returned the phone to its owner with a smile.

"There you go, Tanaka-kun. Have a sweet day"

"Thank you, Tokage senpai. You too, Jirou Senpai."

Tanaka clutched his phone and put in his pocket, eager to run off.

"No problem, but you almost forgot this." Setsuna responded.

Jirou wrapped a jack around the dinosaur plush that Kyoryu had dropped.

"Here you go, Tanaka."

"Oh, um...thanks. My mom is probably worried. I should go find her."

The bashful dinosaur boy was ready to run away, satisfied with his selfie until he saw something new on his plush dinosaur: a pair of autographs in purple and green permanent marker. The boy had learned from his family not to get too comfortable with strangers and to be respectful. On top of that, he was a bit anxious, despite his fearsome appearance. In that moment though, he wanted to hug both girls. Alas, his mother called for him.

"KYORYU TANAKA! WHERE DID YOU RUN TO!"

"Oh. Sorry. I gotta go. Nice meeting you both." The young boy gasped out.

Setsuna winked and aimed to finger guns at the child.

"Anything for a fan."

Jirou just waved curly and said "Have a good day."

When the little dinosaur boy ran towards his mom, presumably to get lectured for running off, Jirou couldn't help but notice his body language, the way he lit up when acknowledged but how nervous he was about talking to the girls when he caught himself getting overly enthusiastic. A voice broke her out if her thoughts.

"That's why."

"Pardon?

"The kids. I come to remind myself why I want to be a hero." Setsuna took another bite of pizza after putting her things back in her purse. She took a sip if soda and continued.

"I know. I know. It's cheesy, but that's me in a nutshell. I know I joke and can be sneaky. Our class kind if pushes the envelope with hero strategy. Not the most noble bunch I guess but we try to set ourselves apart. From you, from everybody. It's a competitive field. But we all have to do our part and just...seeing kids get all excited...reminds me if myself. When I was that small. Heck, that's me now, isn't it?"

Setsuna chuckled. Jirou was in awe. This girl could be thoughtful and wise. This was the air of a Recommended student, someone who had proven themselves already in the eyes of pros. She was still a kid herself, they all were.

It's why she goofed around and why she took defeats like the joint class exercises against Bakugou's team and her knockout in the Sports Festival the way she did.

"I'm not All Might. I don't think most of us can or will be. Midoriya maybe. But like...we're never going to be like that and frankly, that's not me. I want to be Basilisk, the hero formerly known as Squamaiden. That's who I am. But the big AM...he inspired people. Still does. And seeing kids get super hyped and seeing them not worried about stuff...just living in the moment. That's what I want to fight for. I want to protect the cute little lizards and the cool children bopping around to animatronic dinosaur bands. This might not be the best place for us but it reminds me of why I want to do this."

"I thought it was to check out cuties and be one yourself." Jirou joked.

"Well, yeah. Totally. But this too. Definitely this. Did you see that? We totally made that kid's day."

Jirou was lost in thought and had to be snapped out of it by Setsuna. She got flustered by her lack of focus, but she couldn't help herself.

Kyouka Jirou was proud of her girlfriend. She was proud and totally in love.

The purple haired rocker wanted to be a hero, one on her own terms at first. In this moment though, she made up her mind.

"So, "Basilisk". Where should we intern together?"

Setsuna beamed, as she tended to due. Her eyes sparkled with energy rivaled only by the likes of Mina or Tooru (or Momo when learning and shopping were involved). Jirou could tell that was the answer her girlfriend was waiting for.

"Well, I would have said Godzillo or Ryukyu. You know me. However only one of those two offered to take us both."

Setsuna slapped down the offer. It was in a fancy envelope with sparkly golden lettering.

Jirou knew if the former number 9. Her friends Tsuyu and Ochako had worked with her before, and a former upperclassmen, Nejire Hadou, was currently in her employ as a sidekick. The choice was made. It wasn't Jirou's first choice in hero, but this wasn't the same as being Ryukyu's sidekick. Not yet at least. Either way, it was a good opportunity and one of the top 10 heroes to boot.

"Well, looks like our choice is made. Ryukyu, here we come."


	11. Young Crazed Peeling

"Wow, Jirou! I can't believe you and Tokage are interning for Ryukyu. I didn't think she would be your first choice."

The purple-haired rocker shrugged as she cleared her desk. Classes had ended and the response letters were sent out. Internships would begin in earnest the beginning of the next week.

Tooru and Mina were gushing, making their friend turn red. Ochako tried to console her, knowing full well what it is like to have feelings and be asked about them, even if she was currently single.

"It's so romantic! You and your girlfriend interning together! It's like how Kendou and Yaomomo started!"

"I keep watching the end of our part of the Sports Festival. So romantic!"

"Guys, it's not a big deal. Ryukyu has worked with Ochako and Tsu before, so she knows our class. Besides, she offered to take both Setsuna and me. Might as well go for it."

A sneeze rang out from the hallway just as the conversation was going. The purple-haired girl sighed and smiled. She should have known that they had company.

"You feeling ok, Sets?"

There was silence. However, Kyouka was not fooled by her girlfriend's attempts at stealth. Setsuna Tokage might have been a recommended student and a bit if a dirty player, but her girlfriend had acute hearing thanks to her quirk, not to mention a fairly adept understanding of her mannerisms and habits.

"Don't fall apart on me, babe. Pull yourself together and come out."

"Spoil sport."

"Eavesdropping is rude." the hearing hero retorted, arms folded across her chest.

"Your quirk is made for eavesdropping so checkmate!"

Kyouka looked to her two classmates and music students for a moment. She really wasn't looking to be the center of attention. She sure wasn't on the same level as some of the flashier heroes.

And yet, through her blush, the punk girl had to smile. Between the sports festival and her debut at the previous year's Culture Festival, she was certainly finding herself center stage, even in 3rd place. It was all the more worthwhile with her number 1 fan by her side.

"She's here, so we're going to jet. Good luck on your internships."

Tooru claimed and pouted, wanting to talk more about romance. Mina hugged but understood. She had been dating Izuku for a while, and he was more similar to Jirou than some would expect.

"Okaaaay~. You two love birds go kick butt with the cool dragon lady!"

Setsuna fired off her finger guns at the acid girl. "You know it , Ms. Ripley!"

"Right back at ya, Dr. Satler." Mina returned the favor.

Kyouka dragged her girlfriend away while rolling her eyes. There wasn't much time for surround sound dorks. They had a hero to go see.

X

The two girls showed up at Ryukyu's hero agency. It looked different from what Kyouka expected, but her partner had it committed to memory. She wasn't Midoriya levels of fan obsession, but the Lizardy girl's enthusiasm was on full display.

The young rocker turned to her girlfriend. She would have felt a bit nervous in her first year. Perhaps she still sort of was. And yet Kyouka Jirou felt very calm and comfortable in this moment. Third place at the Sports festival and working with one of the top 10 heroes in the country was amazing, admittedly. And she was in good company.

Her eyes wandered to the costume Setsuna was wearing. Her face heated up when she realized where she was looking and how it appeared. It was nearly on fire when the lizard girl looked her way briefly and winked. Kyouka calmed down and tried saving face before it burnt to a crisp.

"I never asked before, but why is your costume blue?"

"Liar. You always ask that. You just tune out every time I try to summarize the life history of _Anolis gorgonae_ so you forget."

"You could just say it is based off some rare lizard, but you suddenly go all National Geographic on me. But yeah. Sorry."

"No sweat. It's also influenced by best girl in all cinema. Blue the Velociraptor."

"It literally looks nothing like her."

"It's blue! It has scales! Close enough!" the green-haired girl failed her arms animatedly before putting them behind her head and smiling at the other girl.

"Whatever. One sec." Kyouka paused the conversation and switched her focus to the receptionist, a young woman who appeared to have reptilian mutations that gave her the appearance of a humanoid dragon. She had short hair and a name tag that read "Kusuburi Masu".

"We're here to see Ryukyu. We're her new interns." the hearing hero spoke, Setsuna waving behind her at the reptilian receptionist.

"Oh! The bronze lovers! I remember from the broadcast. Top floor. The elevators are to the right. Welcome aboard." the young woman extended a clawed hand and smiled, both interns taking turns shaking it before moving on towards the elevators.

"Bronze lovers?"

"We are not calling ourselves that."

"Works for me. I had another name for our little duo."

"If it's Green and Purple or some kind of dinosaur pun, I'm out."

"I mean, it is kind of a reptile pun."

"Fine. Let's hear." The punk girl crossed her arms, rolling her eyes as a smirk crossed her face. She loved her girlfriend's sense of humor, even if it wasn't always evident. But this clever, silly girl with her tactics and her innuendos had stolen her heart and patched it up when it was in pieces.

Given Setsuna's quirk, it was almost musical in a way. So the young rocker was willing to hear any ridiculous ideas her girlfriend had.

"Young Crazed Peeling! We're young. Lizards molt their skin, and it's a punk song. It fits us all too well."

"... Ok, shit. I kind of like that. We can discuss it later."

Setsuna gave a thumbs up and turned her focus ahead. Her excitement was palpable. This was among the greatest days of her life, along with that meet and greet with Godzillo on her 14th birthday.

And now, here she was, hand in hand with the coolest girl she had ever met. Kyouka has to keep an eye on the lizard girl, making sure her head didn't fly off from excitement.

"Easy, Lizardy."

"It's Basilisk, jerk."

"I thought It was Squamistress?" Kyouka jabbed sarcastically with her elbow.

"Heroes can change names. Shiozaki did."

As the young couple made it through the doors to Ryuku's office, the former number 9 greeted them, albeit in civilian clothes. It was certainly odd. She was dignified in her mannerisms. She exuded grace and poise, yet harnessed a bestial power. She had an eye for potential and shiny objects.

And yet the woman known as Ryuko Tatsuma dressed like she had just left her house to go to the corner store and get a few things.

"Ah. I see you two made it alright. Sorry for my appearance. I was running a bit late...I had a bit of an engagement."

The pro hero casually slid an envelope under a chalice on her desk, the envelope itself sealed with a golden bunny sticker.

"Anyway, sorry if this seems unprofessional. I decided to be more casual today. I had some errands to run. Mind if I get into costume as well?"

The woman bowed in reverence to her latest interns before taking her leave. The office was large, as was to be expected. It was everything Setsuna had dreamed of and more. Meanwhile, Kyouka could only whistle as she walked around the office, taking in its adornments.

It was certainly nicer than Deatharms' set up. The hearing hero couldn't knock him. She certainly gained some useful enough experience in basic protocol for civilians. It had left her wanting though. Still, it was her first year and things were meant to be less hectic (though it didn't turn out that way for some.)

"Now then ladies. Shall we go on patrol? I can make us some tea afterwards, and share some stories about Karaoke with Miruko, but I can tell from your costumes that you aren't here just for pleasantries."

The dragoon hero smiled politely, though a glint of mischief was evident in her eye. Setsuna recognized it all to well and started getting excited as well.

Pro heroes had a duty to society. They had an image and reputation to uphold. And yet they all had their different goals and personalities and aspirations. Still, even heroes like Ryukyu could get a bit of a rush from being out in the field, especially when they could transform into a huge, flying dragon.

Kyouka and Setsuna exchanged a look as their mentor flung open her windows and stepped onto her balcony.

"I am so hype for this."

"This isn't a meet and greet, Sets." Kyouka deadpanned, cautiously climbing about her now draconic mentor.

"I know that. But don't tell me you're not a little bit excited."

The rocker girl sighed and smiled. She was caught up in her girlfriend's enthusiasm and it was hard not to join in.

X

The trio hit the ground running. It wasn't like the work study of their first year, nor was it like the internships experienced by their friends. There wasn't a major raid on any crime syndicates certainly. However, in a post-All Might world where the League of Villains had already left an indelible mark, dangers were looming.

It was up to anyone who aimed to be a hero to be prepared. One had to keep from being too lax or too rigid with their guard. The Dragoon hero relayed a recent exploit to her interns to illustrate this.

"So this villain from the UK was just sort of hanging out in Japan? Sleepy Jean? I take it he wasn't here as a tourist." Kyouka hung onto Ryukyu as they landed a block from their destination, deciding to pursue on foot.

"He wasn't. Sleepy Jean was spotted one afternoon along the docks. Nobody was quite sure what he is up to, but he has been linked to abduction and Human trafficking. He has the ability to send his victims into a fugue state. Same range as Midnight's sleep quirk, but worse."

"So what? Was he working with some upstart villain like my uncle used to be? Or the League?" Setsuna asked, having the time of her life alongside two of the coolest women she had met.

"It isn't always a grand scheme. In the end, he was apprehended. We should keep our guards ready though. Villainy doesn't clean up easily and the operation could still be going on without him. I have a lead, so we're investigating. Earphone Jack, I need you on reconnaissance. You too. Basilisk was it?"

"Hell yeah. I'm the eyes. Jack Attack is the ears."

"Keep those eyes peeled, Sets."

"Young Crazed Peeling?

"Young Crazed Peeling." The two girls fistbumped and assumed their positions.

The number 10 hero nodded sagely at her young wards and flew off, maintaining her position in this operation. All three women had communication devices to keep in touch with police and each other. Coordination was important to any larger scale heroic activity, especially in a world where villains had taken to banding together.

While action was preferred, being sneaky was fun for Setsuna. Her quirkiness well suited for strategy and diversion. If she got caught, she could get away, albeit with pieces missing. Furthermore, autotomy and the girl's natural personality blended well in creating distractions for opponents.

"Once we have our Intel, we can move in."

This mission had personal stakes for the Dragoon hero. Setsuna knew the moment she saw the cargo that was being sold: children. Her idol had a soft spot for them and was known to be somewhat of a mother hen (or dragon in this case). What's more, the Eri case left her feeling some remorse for how it all went down, so this was somewhat of a proving ground for her, just as much as it was for the two girls under her wing.

Setsuna separated herself into strategic locations, spread out enough to surround the enemy but close enough to reassemble should things go south. Kyouka moved herself to the wall closest to where the villains running the operation were congregating.

"Basilisk, do you read?" A buzz came through the Lizardy hero's earpiece.

"Yeah. I'm going to try to release the kids." Setsuna whispered.

"Not yet. I am eager to myself, but we can't put them in further danger. We should deal with the guards first. How many do you as"

"I count about...10. I think we can take them."

"Chill, Basilisk. I hear 11 heartbeats in the room, not counting the hostages. Someone is hiding."

Setsuna perked up, eyes shake as she looked around for the missing person. She didn't have acute hearing and being in pieces had disadvantages that could be easily exploited, but the lizardy girl was able to be in more places than one essentially.

"Well well. Looks like we have a bit of a mess to clean up."

Setsuna shuddered as the plan started to unravel. She was spotted. However, panic was not an option. She had to think under pressure. As a 2nd year recommended student, she was better than that. Losses could hit her hard, but there were people who trusted her judgement. Right now, there were others counting on her.

The owner of the voice stepped out from the shadows, color shifting from black to a pale green skin tone adorned in camo gear.

"Chameleon quirk. God that's cool. Not how the little guys actually work but I'm one to judge." Setsuna thought to herself.

"Would you excuse me, little mess? I think I need help picking you u-"

The green-haired girl thought fast, summoning her closest arm to latch onto the assailants face and shove her fingers up up his nose. This silenced and confused him long enough for the girl to assemble herself, at least to the point where she could knock him unconscious and hide him in the shadows again.

"Sets, you ok?" A voice rang in her ear, hushed yet dripping with concern.

"Slight change of plans. Sorry. I found Mr. 11. Or vice versa. What does Mama Dragon have to say?"

"Please don't call her that." Kyouka hissed silently into her communication device.

"I am flattered by the nickname, Basilisk, but your partner is right. Anyway, I say we move in."

Setsuna smiled as she continued reassembling herself and leapt into action. At the same time, Ryukyu and Earphone Jack entered the building, dispatching the criminals efficiently.

The two interns managed to get in a quick combo move called "Sound and fury" where the rocker girl released a shockwave with her arm speakers and her partner swirled around in pieces, raining blows like a violent meat tornado.

In the chaos, the green-haired heroine contacted the authorities and released the traffic victims before joining the fray.

Kyouka slipped away to escort them towards an appointed checkpoint where they would he safe.

By the end, the three young women were sitting back at the office, sharing tea and listening to stories about Miruko and her Karaoke exploits.

"Man, that sounds wild. Kind of like our last Karaoke date." Setsuna grinned, sipping her tea alongside Silent yet smiling Kyouka.

"You two seem to be rather in sync. Relationships can be hard to manage for pros. We live a hectic life, risking our own lives for others. It is not impossible, however and I can see a level of trust and cooperation between you. You did rather well."

The young couple smiled warmly at each other, and then their mentor. They had come quite a long way, as a couple and as individuals. Having one's growth recognized could be a life-affirming situation, almost like an abstract trophy. Ryukyu spoke again.

"I did notice some things that could be refined though. While we can't account for everything and she handled it well, Basilisk was still spotted. I am sure you will learn what you must at UA but before I send you off to rest, I suggest a short training session. I have quarters prepared for you two floors down, below the topmost training floor"

"Oh man."

The girls sighed in unison. Still, it could be worse. They couldn't expect everything to go off without a hitch. Things went smoother that night than they likely would in the future. But whatever happened, they were a team.

"Alright, K. Let's hit the gym, then the hay." Setsuna stretched her arms."

"Can you ever just call me by my name?" Kyouka sassed.

"Not until bedtime, babe."

The purple-haired girl sighed and smiled. She could live with that. Her face was heating up as her heart rate increased, but she was in control. Her hand reached for Setsuna's and soon found it as they headed towards the end of their first day.

X

X

X

It was the final year of classes for this crop of hero students. Everyone had come so far, and yet it was odd to even consider the breadth of that progress. Relationships grew and waned. Some flourished while others still tried harder.

Throughout this though, Setsuna Tokage remained resolute. She tied her long green hair into a bun and washed her hands thoroughly. Her tools laid before her, waiting to breathe life into her current project. Valentine's day was so close, it was palpable.

"Alright. Let's see what the recipe calls for"

Setsuna wasn't a baker. Not the best, anyway. She wasn't "Flour everywhere" bad but it wasn't really a special interest for her or anything she did regularly. Still, it was applied chemistry and, coming from a scientific household, that was simple enough for her. Besides, she made chocolates last year. The main challenge came in not messing up her goal and to do something her girlfriend would appreciate.

"Man, I hope Kyouka likes this"

"I'm sure I will. What are you making, Dork?"

Sure enough, the purple-haired rocker stood in the doorway, dressed in a black hoodie with a purple tank top, matching skirt, and torn leggings. An acoustic guitar hung on her back,in its case.

Setsuna jumped, accidentally flinging a spoon at the doorway to the lounge. It narrowly missed Jirou, but got chocolate on the wall.

"Shit!"

"I hope that's not what it is."

"No! Leave! You can't see my surprise! It will ruin the romance!" the green haired girl cried out, trying to shield her work from her girlfriend. She hadn't started yet.

"Ok. Well truth be told, I kind of wanted to use the kitchen too. Guess I'll wait."

Kyouka sat down in the lounge and played her guitar, comfortable enough to do so without worrying what others thought. Performing for the school and doing a few open mic nights had that effect. She was a hero first and foremost, but even heroes had hobbies.

"Why did you bring your guitar?"

"Just in case." the class a student carefully tuned her instrument, humming as She did so. "Besides...I...fuck it. You'll laugh."

"Kyouka...I am making you a Petit gâteau, surrounded by chocolate dinosaurs. I have no place to laugh."

"You revealed your gift, Miss "It will ruin the Romance". But yeah. I get what you're saying. Ok. So, I wrote you a song. But I wanted to make you some chocolate too."

"Baby. You don't have to do that til White day. That was the case last year."

"Yeah. But I was less sure, you know? Still new to it. I don't think I can wait that long." Kyouka looked down as she thoughtfully strummed her guitar. "I mean' still want to do something for white day, but like...I just wanted to do something cute for you. Not that this is cute. Shit, I sound like Midoriya."

The girl laughed awkwardly, ruminating on the similarities between her and her green-haired friend. She was snapped out of it by two hands clapping around her cheeks.

"Hey. I did want to surprise you, but it seems we both kind of ruined the surprise for each other. Let's not worry about it, K? Traditions and secrets...Bake chocolate with me and then we can stuff our faces and talk shit and you can serenade me like you planned."

"I don't think Valentine's day works like that, Sets." Kyouka blushed deeply as she looked away, only for her head to be turned back towards her girlfriend's awaiting smile.

"Let's make it work then. We're not the traditional couple. We're the Young Crazed Peeling. That sassy punk girl and her cute girlfriend who carries dinosaurs everywhere she goes."

"Man, not fair." the purple-haired girl sighed. "When do I get to sweet talk you?"

"Every day, if you'll have me." Setsuna moved the guitar carefully out of Kyouka's grasp and set it down, clearing a spot on the punk teen's lap.

A year ago, this would have sent the shorter girl's senses haywire. It still did, however she was more prepared. The purple-haired rocker leaned down and hovered her head above Setsuna's going in for A kiss.

"Always, my dear Dino Dork."

The night progressed like this. Others entered and left the area, noting the relationship between their fellow students and how it had grown. Setsuna finished her cake for Kyouka, while the punk girl sang her tune, strumming an uptempo tune until she was ready to belt her heart out.

" _ **You may fall to pieces but you keep me together-**_

 _ **Your hand in mind is soft as silk while I act tough as leather~**_

 _ **Your lizard lips against mine just make the world spin~**_

 _ **Time stops for us, I crave your touch, the warmth of your skin~**_

 _ **and I just can't help but shout it out to the world**_

 _ **I just want to roar~**_

 _ **You came to me when I was weak you gave me a sample and I wanted more~**_

 _ **We'll take on the world, me and my dinosaur~"**_

The sound of music and the smell of chocolate filled the air around the 1b dorms building, seeping out into the cold February air. The young couple had been through a lot together, from early dates and awkward first steps to Sports Festival moments and Internships. As Setsuna ate a piece of chocolate off of one of her girlfriend's Jacks, she blushed half as her. And yet their hearts pounded as one now.

That was a gift sweeter than any song or any confection. It was something all their own, and it could never be replaced.

The young lovers embraced, eventually relocating to Setsuna's room, spending the night in each other's arms and telling funny stories. If there was a better way to occupy the evening, neither girl wanted to hear it. Things were perfect just the way they were.

"Happy Valentine's day, Kyouka Cola."

"Happy anniversary, Setsunasaur."

Notes (finally uploading them onto my uploads here. Took me long enough):

So here it is, my only update for the week. I have some other things I fell short on that I want to do better with but life is going.

Unfortunately, it went away for my dog Lily. She passed away on Valentine's day. She had cancer and a fractured leg and we had to put her down. She would have been 10 this summer. I miss her and yet as much as I want to, I can't physically cry. It is kind of frustrating.

I'll miss you, Lily butt. You were a good dog and I miss you.

On a less depressing note, this chapter is special. It gets an omake. In honor of this story's one year anniversary, as well as Valentine's day recently, I included a short thing to celebrate.

I didn't want to interrupt the main arc I am in (did that once before by going on hiatus), but a separate one shot seemed a bit separate from what I wanted to do? I considered it but ultimately went this route.

I also must apologize for the ending of the main body of this. I originally had something grander in mind involving an OC of mine that gets Name Dropped here: Sleepy Jean.

He would be working with another OC I co-created in a way (a guy going by Sage came up with the core concept), but it would have gone on too long and it is better as a thing of its own. So we get nameless goons instead.

Also, please lock me up for plagiarism, as I reached out and never heard back, but there is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo by another OC whose design I liked. I decided to take inspiration. I can edit that part out.

But I still want to credit the artist Kanelfa for it anyway.

On that note, here is another plug for my  
Ko-fi I should use more.

/maggied

Anyway, constructive criticism is appreciated as always.

See you on the flipside, y'all. Thanks for reading and happy belated Valentine's day.


	12. Our House

"I still can't believe I get to meet your parents!"

"Why? They're just my mom and dad. Nothing spectacular. You'll do fine. You're the one with all the college and graduate degrees in your family and who got in on recommendations. If anyone should be nervous, it's me." Kyouka jabbed back playfully, though there was more than a grain of truth to her response.

"Trust me. They'll love you."

"So you're our little girl's main squeeze, huh? Glad to finally meetcha, Tokage. I heard you have an impressive quirk." Kyouka's father spoke, getting a good look at the green-haired girl. "How did you two lovebirds meet anyway?"

"Don't be dumb, dad. We met at school."

"Now now, Little Kiki. Be nice to your old man. He just wants to hear me regale him with a romantic ballad. Sir, do you have a ukulele on you?"

The purple-haired girl held her head in her hands as her earjacks recoiled in embarrassment. She knew Setsuna and her dad would get along fine. She was just hoping that they wouldn't be this dorky.

She was so relieved though. Not that she doubted for a moment. Kyouka got along with her family. They were unconventional, but still a very loving family.

The young rocker just wanted things to go smoothly. She wasn't one to obsess over minor details and she tried to remain aloof, but truth was that Kyouka was an anxious teenage girl who just wanted to minimize embarrassment.

Unfortunately for her, the photo album had come out and so too had years of dirty laundry. Her face sank.

"And this is Kyouka's Bat Mitzvah. She wore my old sunglasses from my first gig. She loved them since she was a little girl."

"Whoah! Kyouka, you never told be you were Jewish! What else don't I know about you."

"It never came up. I'm not ashamed of it, but it never felt like something I needed to be up from about." the young punk blushed, poking her ear jacks together.

"Well it is a part of who you are Kyouka. I kind of wish I had found out earlier." setsuna pouted as she slumped into her chair.

"We have to be honest, Kyouka. When you said you were dating a recommended student, your mom and I thought it was the Yaoyorozu girl."

The purple-haired girl spat out her tea, feeling the blood drain from her face. Setsuna merely detached her head and hands and levitate them to where her girlfriend was sitting.

"Oh? Am I not endowed well enough for you, my little Kyouka Cola."

"Oh my goodness, that's been my nickname for her since she was a little girl. Kyouka Cola, Rock 'n' Rolla. She used to sing it along with me as She played her little-"

"MOM!"

"Mrs. Jirou, you have no idea how much ammunition you have given me and how much joy it brings." The green-haired girl offered a toothy grin.

"Well, Setsuna. You and Kyouka seem almost perfect for each other. Are you our little girl's bashert?"

"Ok. I'm going to join grandma now. I'll tell the ancestors it's been a gas. Later."

"Hey. Don't die yet. I'm your basher...whatever that means."

"...please do not joke." The purple-haired girl blushed and frowned.

"It means soulmate. You are essentially destined to marry."

It was Setsuna's turn to blush now. She was utterly shocked. She wish she knew more about this stuff But she was willing to learn. But Soul mates? Did she believe in those? Was it too soon in the relationship? How deeply did she care for Kyouka.

"Easy, Mika. Don't tease the girls too much. That's what dads are for."

"We're going to my room. Now." the young punk dragged her girlfriend out of the living room and towards her personal quarters. She needed some time to breathe. Of course her parents would become annoying when she brought a girl home. Such betrayal would not be forgotten.

"Door open. We don't want you kids doing anything wild."

Kyouka felt like screaming but Setsuna offered her left hand for the flustered musician to let out her frustrations into.

The two girls slumped onto a bed with checkered sheets, shelves of records and a few leftover instruments stuck behind for visits. Kyouka's Mynah bird, Dinah, kept a lookout over everything and captured Setsuna's attention for a while before she turned back to her girlfriend.

"Dinah the Mynah. Such a pretty rhyming name for a pretty girl. You're like a tiny rock & roll dinosaur. Man, I can't believe your dad took your mom's last name. That is cool of him. I like your parents. And also your bird obviously."

"Right now, I don't. Also too bad. She's mine. Your lizards might eat her."

"First off, that is rude. All my children are well behaved and none feed on birds. Secondly, I thought you said you got along with them."

"Not when they embarrass me in front of you." Kyouka sighed and pouted, eyes fixated on the ceiling until Setsuna fixed her gaze once more

"Hey now, Jack Attack. You know I do that enough on a daily basis." the greenette smiled encouragingly, stroking her girlfriend's hand and continued in a soft and relaxed tone.

"Besides. Parents are embarrassing. That's why they are parents. They love you though. Just like...you know…"

Her cheeks flushed as she spoke and Kyouka's did as well once the feeling was understood. Green eyes met violet as tension and anxiety started to crumble slowly.

"Yeah. Me too… I got you"

"Come on. I want to hear more about your mom's recipes. I can cook them for you some time."

"Don't scare me like that." The punk girl scoffed at her green-haired partner.

"Why is that scary? I am not a total disaster. Besides, baking is a form if cooking and that is just applied chemistry." the dino enthusiast scoffed back.

"You're a dork."

"Having second doubts, Kiki?"

"Only if you keep calling me that."

"Aight. I'll stop." Setsuna called her girlfriend's bluff. For all her aloof posturing, Kyouka was a sweet, sensitive girl with a vibrant soul and they both knew this. It was part of why they resonated so well with one another.

"...N-no. Please. I actually like that."

"Now who's the dork?"

"Shut up!"

The purple-haired punk stammered and blushed, her jacks stiffening with embarrassment before kissing in the middle.

"You are the cutest little tough girl in the world! Come here, Kyoukie Doki! I want to hear your heartbeat."

The two girls rolled around on Kyouka's bed, laughing and roughhousing before their lips found each other. Setsuna had the other girl pinned beneath her weight and was pulled closer by the ear jacks of said girl.

Their tender moment was interrupted, however, when Kyotoku Jirou walked in, pretending to be the strict father he clearly was not. He had tried that with All Might and Eraserhead but his daughter had burst that bubble. Setsuna would later joke about how he was like an older Kaminari Denki, which earned her a weird look and later a brief laugh from Kyouka.

This time, however, she was the one caught off guard.

"HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE EM!"

"DAD, WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Normally, Setsuna would not have resisted the urge to be what her friends and sister had deemed "a sassy little shit" possibly floating her disembodied hands over to Mr. Jirou or licking Kyouka's face while she was distracted.

However, she too was caught off guard and wound up falling onto the bedroom floor with a loud thud.

"OWIE FUCK, MY TUCHUS!" she yelped, which sent her girlfriend into an unexpected and brief fit of laughter. Even her dad couldn't help but snicker, though that might have been in no small part at his satisfaction with himself.

The tables had turned and the dad had embarrassed his daughter. It was like nature intended. The cat was in the cradle and another cat fell out of said cradle shouting Yiddish she had just learned. Song as old as time.

"Looks like Tokage-San has gone native. Maybe she is your bashert."

As a balled up sock flew at his head and jacks lashed out like vipers, he couldn't help but chuckle as he closed the door.

"Still got it."

X

When the couple made their way out of Kyouka's room, they went back into the fold.

Given the Jirous' nature as musicians, an impromptu jam session broke out.

"Your daughter taught me a little bit. I took band in middle school as well but I fell out if it pretty early on."

"That's very interesting, Tokage-san. Kyouka says you two go to shows in your downtime."

"Oh yeah. Hero studies take up both our time. Guess that's something we both have in common: aiming to be heroes instead of taking on the family business. But music is still important for both of us."

"That's good. We love our little girl's choices but it is nice to see she met a girl like you."

"Well shucks. Thanks, Ma and Pa Jirou. That means a lot. Now any songs you have in mind.?

"We just jam out but we can play name that tune. It's a favorite here."

Kyouka smiled, her cheeks pushed pink while she turned her bass. It was rather stereotypical and probably a bit boring. However it was a big part if her upbringing and who she was.

Kyouka wanted to be a hero and she wanted to do so along Setsuna. However both had learned that there were more than one approach. One if their teachers was a pro and an instructor but was still dedicated to the music. Granted being a radio DJ and an actual musician could be quite different, though not without overlap. But still. That didn't leave much room for romance, but they were resourceful girls.

They would find a way.

Mika busted out a drum set and counted them off. It was harder to name songs from percussion but the Jirou women had quite the ear for such things. Setsuna was able to name a couple and managed to be neck and neck with her girlfriend. Ultimately, the punk girl prevailed.

"What can I say? I'm undefeated." She said with a slight grin.

Setsuna puffed out her cheeks and stuck out a forked tongue.

"Stop humblebragging."

"Stop sucking." Kyouka shrugged, prompting Setsuna to launch her hands off and perform playfully rude gestures that earned a pillow to the face and the laughter of the entire family, though Mika ultimately told everyone to chill.

"It's not a punk show here. Save that for the circle pit, girls."

"They have pillows in pits?"

This went on until the visit ended and the duo took their leave of the Jirou household. Waving goodbye, they vowed to return again. Unfortunately, another promise that occurred was that the Jirou's would get to meet the Tokages. That could wait until later though.

X

As the afternoon gave way to evening, the young couple departed the Jirou residence with new memories and a pot of Matze ball soup Mika had made for her daughter and her girlfriend. The

two girls headed to the train station, singing a duet rendition of Doped up Dollies on a One Way Ticket to Blood by Big D and the Kids Table. When they arrived, the young couple boarded their train and joked about until they reached their destination.

While it was admittedly a delayed reaction, Kyouka reflected on the night's events to her girlfriend.

"So that's my mom and dad. Are you sick of me yet" Kyouka teased. She could still feel insecure despite everything she had been through, both on her own and with Setsuna. It was down to the awkward and anxiety-ridden nature if adolescence.

"Shut the fuck up. Your parents are rad and so are you. I know where you live so I will find you if you talk like that again."

"Yeah. They are pretty cool. I love my folks. Not the coolest thing to say but whatevs. I admit it."

"Good. They are worth loving. Can't wait to introduce you to mine." The greenette grinned.

"Don't threaten me like that. Come on. Let's go home."

"Rude, but ok, little miss curfew."

Hand in hand, the two headed to the train station for the ride back to campus. It would take a while but they would get there before curfew. Setsuna spoke up, brushing the back of her head.

Kyouka had to admit that while she had begun to see beyond the presentation her girlfriend's behavior, it still took her snack to see how mellow and awkward her lizard girl could be. It could be easy to forget that in the grand scheme of it all, they were kids.

"Before you head off to your room...can I stay over? Or you can stay over mine. Either way-"

"Your place is fine. You didn't even have to ask. I appreciate that you did though." The purple-haired judicial pecked the taller girl's cheek and lightly shoved her, gaining a light shove back.

"I love you, you dork."

"Love you too, bigger dork."

The girls laughed, gently holding hands and brushing shoulders. Kyouka thought back to her anxiety about her upbringing and faith. She wasn't as hardcore as Ibara Shiozaki, but it was important enough to her. It all seemed so silly now that she expected any pushback from Setsuna. They were young and so was their relationship. And yet it was stronger than she could have imagined, not to jinx it.

Similarly, Setsuna had originally thought herself bad at love, despite being no stranger to crushes. She wanted to focus on heroics despite her love of flirting.

And yet things had developed well for the two. For that she was grateful.

The young couple headed to Setsuna's room, clearing the bed of dinosaur and lizard plushies so that they could spend the night in each other's embrace. No matter what challenges they faced, they were happy to have each other.

Which was good, as things were about to get weird. And it would all take place on an odd street that came from seemingly nowhere.

 **Took me long enough. March was kind of hectic and this month is showing itself to be just as much of a busy month. Still, I want to provide more content and I finished up two commissions. I have one more to start, but I had a few things started already. This chapter isn't any longer than last so it won't make up for the lack of one last month.**

 **We do get a meet the parents style scenario though, which I have had planned for a while.**

 **I also recently had a headcanon about Jirou being Jewish on her mom's side. It was borne if me reading an Ibara fic or two and asking myself "what if there was a Jewish student at UA?" and so it grew from there.**

 **I hope you all like this chapter. I also included a headcanon from a while back of Jirou having a pet bird. A former friend inspired this and I decided to run with it now. Dinah is named after Black Canary, one of my fave DC characters.**

 **Dinah Laurel Lance!**

 **Another cool girl who wears leather and fishnets and has soundboard attacks.**

 **But speaking of DC characters, another fave of mine is crossing over in next chapter, which will be titled "Wild in the Street" after a fave song of mine, specifically the cover by the Circle Jerks.**

 **Walk will follow this week. Ttyl. Love ya!**

 **PS: Bashert is a Jewish term for soulmate. Or at least that is my simplification of it. I figured I should put that in.**


	13. Wild in the Street

Time flowed for the young heroes in love like an hourglass. Sometimes it was so easy to lose track of individual grains as they flowed. The young couple were still into their second semester as they patrolled the city. Ryukyu had decided to utilize them for another mission, investigating some peculiar goings on recently and stories of a street that shouldn't exist. She trusted these girls and, with their quirks, investigation was right up their alley.

"Face it, Sets. We're lost."

"We're not lost. We're adventuring. Besides, give me more credit. I am a recommended student. I might be goofy, but I am adaptable."

"We aren't adventuring. We're investigating."

"Jeez, Ms. Serious. Are you the not-so-evil twin of Ms. Joke? What are heroes if not costumed adventurers? Besides, where is your punk rock spirit?" The heroine known as Lizardy grinned.

Of course, they weren't in costume this time. That was by design however. Stealth was recommended so full regalia was not.

Kyouka sighed and tried sounding frustrated, but she could not help but smile as she shook her head.

The two wandered onto the new street, and new it was. Setsuna was familiar with the area. She had actually grown up here before moving as a child. This street was a recent construction. Yet what was so peculiar is that it wasn't here last week.

A banner reading "Bono to vada!" scrolled along a line up above them, though nobody seemed to be pulling the strings on closer inspection.

"What is Bono to Vada? Is that like Esperanto or something?" Jirou asked. Setsuna merely shrugged.

Steam bellowed out of a vent in one of the shops and seemed to transform into letters. It was hard to work out at first but they appeared to be in English.

"What brings you two girls here. A date?"

"What the hell? Is this some kind of quirk?"

"It's kind of like Manga's."

Some leaves blew around the teen girls' feet and arranged themselves into letters as well, Japanese this time.

"I am not a Manga but I do have some in my comic shop. My name is Danny. What is yours?"

"Kyouka? I don't want to alarm you, but I think this street is alive."

"It can't be. It's a street." Kyouka deadpanned. This wasn't like some comic book, Jirou thought. Granted, life was essentially a comic book, but it had its limits, right? Animals could have quirks. People could have quirks that made their heads look like inanimate objects.

But could inanimate objects or locations have quirks? They didn't even have DNA to pass it on genetically. What next? A person bestowing a quirk to another person by choice? She decided to just roll with it before she got a headache.

"Very much so, my duckies. I'm a they, by the way. Not an it."

Another convenient sign scrawled across a wide, as if on a winch. There seemed to be a few lines like this strung along the street poles. It was all rather vexing, but when you lived in a world of talking dogs and toddlers with tongue cannons, one learned to take things in stride. That didn't make things any less bizarre though.

Kyouka blushed and kicked her feet. She didn't mean to assume a sentient avenue's gender identity. That was both rude and hypocritical of her. Still, even in a world of superpowers and talking animals, this was still beyond peculiar.

"Right. Sorry. Not used to streets having a gender...or being alive."

"It's a strange world." a vase rotated in a nearby window with the phrase printed on it. Afterwards, some balloons floated out of the depths of the store, similarly adorned with words.

"Now what do I call you? I never got your names."

"I'm Setsuna Tokage and this little punk rock princess here is-"

"Kyouka Jirou. So I'm...um...what brings you here?"

"I'd explain in the cabaret but you two seem so young. Try the comic shop. I can tell you there."

"Cabarets aren't necessarily that risque. Besides, we're almost 18 and drag shows are for everyone."

Setsuna ruminate aloud to Danny. He could not contest that and the green-haired girl seemed to pick up on what might he in store in the cabaret.

"Fair point, dearie. Let me just spruce up a bit." The electric banner of the Cabaret scrolled as the doors opened.

Setsuna played it by ear but this Danny was very similar to Manga's quirk, albeit on a far more massive level. And that didn't explain any of the other things, like teleporting around or having denizens walking around. Kyouka went along with it as well. It was all a bit much but she was kind of growing accustomed to it.

She herself had thought on her gender identity, whether she was feminine or nonbinary or what have you. She felt like a girl sometimes but other times was not so sure. So she could understand a little. If streets could have two lanes, they could have two spirits as well.

She would figure out her gender identity after this was said and done. First and foremost, her and Setsuna had to figure out What Danny's deal was and luckily, they were providing answers quite easily. Still, Kyouka remained on guard.

The theater, which was apparently known as Peeping Tom's Perpetual Cabaret was a bit cheesy in its furnishings but very much filled with whimsy. There appeared to be a bar. However, any and all alcohol seemed to be absent. Danny certainly couldn't be accused of being a terrible chaperone.

Kyouka wasn't ready to jeopardize her hero career with underage drinking anyway, punk or not. She wasn't going to draw X's on her hands either though, so she made a note to find the street again when she reached the legal drinking age. If she was going to get inebriated, she wanted it to be on a place like this. She supposed it could have been down to "going native", which was a bit of a weird phrase to begin with.

A tall black drag queen stepped onto the stage, followed by a Caucasian man with short black hair and well tailored clothes. He was also missing his legs, which seemed to be separate from the rest of him, like a magic trick gone wrong.

Setsuna was loving everything about this and decided to follow the man's example.

"Welcome and bien venue young ladies, to the perpetual cabaret. I am keeping Tom and the fabulous lady behind me is Maura Lee Corrupt."

"I'm nosy parker and this is jack attack." The greenette joked back in English, trying her best.

"I like this girl, already. She's got spunk. Sit pack and enjoy the show, kids. Allow us to entertain you for the next hour."

The couple sat back and enjoyed the show. A whistling noise rang out in both their ears and before they knew it, a snack cart rolled out for them. They perused the wares and reached into their purses, but the cashbox popped open on its own. There was no money inside, just a sticky note that read "My treat, lovelies." in cartoon letters.

As the lights dimmed, Maura and Tom served as the emcees of the show. There was a karaoke machine and several other means of audience participation. However they decided to keep things more informative, with Danny's story being told as a sort of variety show. The propwork and costumery was top notch, as was the choreography, which was to be expected in these circumstances.

Worlds, and Cabanas and patrols of doom were all portrayed expertly and flamboyantly. The two teens took mental notes for the next culture festival.

When it was all said and done, the cast and crew came out and gave a bow, earning Setsuna and Kyouka's. When the performance ended, Danny lit up the exit lights, prompting the teenage guests into the waking world once more.

X

The two girls exited the cabaret with smiles on their faces. Kyouka tried to take the mission seriously but she could not help but go with the flow. It was proving rather informative and this was an Intel gathering mission anyway, as Setsuna reminded her. They looked out around the street, with more people starting to walk about, none of whom were recognizable. Some of them didn't seem to be from Japan. A few even seemed to be quirkless. It was like a patchwork quilt with a populace.

"I like Danny."

"You would."

"So would you. We're both a bit odd. A bit counter culture. We scream punk rock songs and tease our friends and while we both have friends with more visible mutations, we both have appearances that make us stand out in the crowd."

"So what you're saying is that Danny kind of just adopts people like us?" Kyouka sounded slightly incredulous but sympathetic.

"Yeah. Only we aren't really ostracized. Not like others are. But once upon a time we might have been. I think that's what makes him a hero."

"Being a teleporting genderqueer street?"

"No, earphone dingus. Hope. He gives hope to those who feel out of place or rejected. It's kind of like what a lot of the villains out there preach, but in a kinder way. He isn't here to tear down society. Just here to pick up those left behind I guess."

That was certainly one definition of heroism, one the punk girl could get behind. She had met quirkless people before and knew that there were still people who looked down on mutations, even in this day and age.

"Can a street even do that?"

"I can do so much more, dears. I could respawn from a brick if I wanted to. That would hurt though."

It was a fair answer. If Nezu could run a school, a street could be a hero. The brick thing sounded like bullshit, but at this point, she could believe it.

The two shopped around on Danny, eventually bumping into some of the occupants of Danny, who lovingly referred to themselves as Dannyzens.

They headed into a clothing store, where the men's section was filled with lovely dresses, frilly and vibrant. Nothing there was really to the girls' liking until they found some more alternative clothes.

Setsuna found a leather jacket, jumpsuit, and some accessories, including some very cute dinosaur earrings she had to have.

Her eyes fell upon a slip-on dress with a leopard print design, with one long sleeve while the other side showed more shoulder. It was the kind of thing Setsuna loved, especially if it caught her partner's eye.

"Very chic. That pattern reminds me of my dear friend, Flex." A wall-mounted TV in the store displayed yellow letters against an electric blue screen.

"Dude, isn't Flex Mentallo that beefy American dude Kirishima is a fan of?" Kyouka pondered to her girlfriend.

"Is he real? I thought he was just a comic character."

"Flex is real, dears. You would be surprised." A poster scrolled down from the ceiling, not unlike those advertising sales in big department stores, like Donkey Oote or Kame Yu.

"If that's the case we have a friend who might want his autograph sometime." The short-haired youth replied.

Another sale banner scrolled down.

"Just say the word and I can arrange something."

"I'll let you know. So what else do you have up your alley...or gutter or...what do streets have as sleeves?"

It was still taking some getting used to but Kyouka was trying.

"Yeah. It's not every day we meet someone like you. What else is there?" Setsuna chimed in. She was having fun but was not completely unaware that they were here for a reason, though they had seemed to already have most of the answers they could get at this point.

One more banner scrolled down.

"I'll show you. Just follow the arrows."

Sure enough, a series of arrows appeared on signs and flyers as the doors of the shop opened. No longer doubting this street's intentions, the young couple stepped back out into the fresh air.

X

Next, Danny recommended a salon next door on the whirlwind tour of their thoroughfare. Across was what used to be a gunshop but in order to better fit in with the current setting, was now a yoga studio and wrestling gym.

Kyouka walked into the boutique, taking in the blend of decor: a little masculine, a little feminine, and all shades in between. There was even a nonbinary pride flag hanging on a pole outside the window, the pole itself rapped in ribbons and flowers.

There were two stylists on call to take care of the young couple: One being a short, groggy voiced drag queen named Ma Velous and the other being a tall androgynous individual with pale white skin, black eyes, and a crystalline Mohawk that reflected light like a prism. Their name was Hikari.

When Ma was done with Kyouka's hair, the hearing hero was sporting an undercut with her bangs in a fringe over her right eye. Her makeup was also touched up and worthy of Siouxsie Sioux herself, disregarding the more unfortunate parts of her legacy.

Setsuna, on the other hand, had settled on something more modest yet just as jaw dropping, especially to her girlfriend

Her green tresses were now styled in a bob with blue highlights to match her costume.

"How do I look?" The greenette smiled, twirling around like an enthusiastic top.

"I….I…"

"Oho. Speechless, eh?"

"S-shut up and let's go. We should report back to Ryukyu."

"Alright. Alright. We're going to have to explain our new looks though." Setsuna grinned.

"We'll play it by ear. Also I know what you're going to say and it's not funny."

"Buzzkill." The greenette pouted while sticking out a forked tongue. Kyouka merely smirked, relishing in her girlfriend's reaction and trying not to give away that the intended joke was actually funny.

"Fine. You can say it: "Don't you mean play it by earph-"

"Nope. You ruined it. It is dead." The lizard girl huffed in an exaggerated fashion before turning to smile at Kyouka once more.

"I say this was a success though."

"You would."

"So would you."

"Yeah...I guess I would."

As they departed, the pair decided on a course of action. They trusted Ryukyu, and we're part of hero society themselves. However, leaving Danny alone to do their thing and travel the world seemed the best option.

"How did a mission turn into a date?" The punk girl sighed wistfully. Perhaps not all missions were urgent. Sometimes you had to rescue cats from trees or clean up parks or hang out with sentient streets.

"It always was a mix of both. Don't kid yourself, Kiki."

Setsuna almost teased Kyouka about being her Bashert but stopped herself. It was something to be taken with some respect. Was it too soon to consider herself anyone's soulmate, or vice versa?

The two walked hand in hand as they prepared to exit, matching buttons catching a glint of sunlight as the burning orb descended into the horizon.

"Honorary Dannyzens."

Unfortunately, their mission was not over. In fact, it had just changed from investigation to combat. Caught in the light of one of the streetlamps stood a familiar bunch, their shadows casting a larger one on the night thus far. The man known as Shigaraki stepped forward, fingers dancing as he prepared to move.

"Looks like some of the little heroes stumbled across our new hub." A gravelly yet nasally voice hissed, ringing all to familiar to the two girls, especially Kyouka.

"Shit! What is the League of Villains doing here?"

"Dating on company time? Not a good use of your time, heroes. Shouldn't you be protecting the innocent?" Dabi taunted in a low voice, calm yet menacing.

"Fuck." Setsuna cursed under her breath. Why would these creeps be here, on a teleporting street not located on any map?

Then it hit her as soon as she said it. If they could control Danny, they would have the perfect hideout. They could teleport anywhere, have access to supplies, and recruit the downtrodden to their cause the League had already changed the world in their own way. Danny was just the book they needed to go further.

She kicked herself further. She was on a mission from one of her idols and she got so caught up in the discovery of something new and the company of her girlfriend that she turned it into a date. She was supposed to be a leader, a recommended student.

"Earphone, get the Dannyzens to safety and call for backup. I will hold them off" Setsuna growled. She felt responsible, or rather, irresponsible. Had she let her propensity for mischief and her fondness for a girl Full her edge? Had she turned into a joke?

"There really won't be much need for strategy here. We have you outnumbered. Any pros you call will be too late. We know how this will go, so I think I am ready to skip this cutscene."

"Let me make something clear. I don't see myself winning against you." The class be student proclaimed, a reserved edge to her voice.

"So you admit you're an idiot. Glad that much is clear."

"Maybe. I can act like one at times. I'm still far from being a pro. But I'm still not letting you take Danny."

"Do you need some back up, love?" a neon sign flashed.

"I appreciate it, Danny. Thanks. But much like Tom, I can split duties."

The Lizardy hero separated herself into pieces, running interference while Kyouka ran everyone to safety. Even if they were in civilian clothes, giving away their real names wasn't wise. Setsuna knew this and hoped it would provide some cover if they got out of it.

She was outnumbered and up against an actual threat. They had kidnapped a student, been a thorn in UA's side since her first year, and had taken on an army.

Kyouka rallied the Dannyzens. Tried to get them to hide it evacuate. This was a battleground right now and the safety of innocents was priority. This was their home, however, and many were reluctant.

"Look. I get this is your home, but these guys are dangerous. Super dangerous. If you aren't going to leave, you sure as heck can't fight them. So how about we hide you."

Noticing the Cabaret, the purple-haired heroine led as many people as she could into the building. It would likely be beyond capacity, but it was worth a shot for now. And then she could send for reinforcements, like Ryukyu or the HER-petologists. Any one, really, though pros were naturally the best option.

Maura and Tom tended to the Dannyzens and once they were all accounted for, Kyouka ran to assist her partner.

Reaching into her purse, the young punk pulled out her support items and strapped them to her wrist.

She was ready to rock and roll.

Just when the young girls were outnumbered, help came unexpectedly.

The villains were teleported away in an instant.

"Dude, holy shit!"

"Sometimes a street must clean up after themselves." The electric banner read, followed by electronic eyes winking.

Unfortunately, there was one member of the league unaccounted for as Toga revealed herself, tossing a knife at the precise moment Setsuna reformed herself. Like a marksman in a game of darts, it was a direct hit. Unable to account for the sharp surprise, the Lizard girl's torso spread crimson from the point of entry.

"I like your hair and you seemed to be enjoying a nice day out with your love. Mind if I share?" the vampiric villain cooed in a deranged and unsettling sing-song tone.

"It's...always...blondes…Shit."

The scrolling sign of the Cabaret synced up perfectly with Kyouka as they both cried.

"NOOOOOOOOO! SETSUNA!"

Any cover they might have had was blown but the purple-haired girl was too distraught to care, dropping any facade she had of being calm and collected. She cradled her girlfriend in her arms as she bled out. Barely dodging an emotional flurry of earphone jacks before getting out of range, Toga was sent away by Danny before she could collect any blood from her newest mark.

The hearing hero was freaking out, trying to remember her training and keep professional. And yet it was hard not to curse herself. She was wondering if dating as a hero was a bad idea. If she had failed to keep a better eye on her partner. Even if these things came with the territory and the Lizardy hero was highly capable, the cursing and the tears didn't stop.

But despite doing things by the letter, she still felt at fault. Blood stained the Dannyzen pin and in an instant, the entire locale and all its occupants vanished, as if they had never been there.

X

Danny shifted their location once more, though it was a bit of a short hop. This time, the street was adjacent to a hospital, an ambulance pointed towards their thoroughfare.

Kyouka wanted to thank Danny, to promise they would return. But there was a more pressing matters. Danny recognized this and left behind a flyer before vanishing once more, residents in tow.

The teenage rocker picked it up with some effort, using her jacks to assist so that she didn't have to drop Setsuna. With the flyer in her jacket pocket, her mind raced and her heart thundered, pounding in her ears as she carried the bleeding girl in her arms. It was a lot like that one piece of art: the Madonna.

The orderly lobby of the medical facility was thrown into disarray as the hero student rushed in.

"Help her! Please!"

 **Man, I wanted to do this crossover for about a month or two. Or three. I have not read all the team's history, but I liked the Doom Patrol and the tv show made me live them. I got deeper into the comics because of it and just the character if Danny the Street in particular is so good. I love them.**

 **Given my live of weird goofy shit, it makes sense. I love Doom Patrol, I live JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (which gets a nod in this chapter. See if you can find it.) and even if it falls into come tions of both shonen and cape comics, MHA can be pretty weird and goofy too.**

 **Plus, for pride month, having a young queer couple hang about on a genderqueer street seemed appropriate.**

 **As for the ending, it was initially more slice-of-life, but ultimately, that was a bit too directionless. This whole fic probably is. I needed to flesh it out more. So I went to a friend and offered ideas. They gave me their insights, I pitched some things and I decided to use a villain attack after all, specifically, the League.**

 **If they are down their teleported, controlling Danny makes sense. Other than that, I admit they don't have many ties to Setsuna and Jirou outside the USJ and Training Camp arcs, but sometimes villainy is just the right place at the wrong time.**

 **And because I am lazy, I decided to make a little ask-meme oneshot I wrote months back into a part of the story. So technically, the penultimate chapter is already started.**

 **That means that in July, I will be wrapping this story up. All good things come to an end and while I want to get better at telling longer stories, this one doesn't have a solid narrative base to really stretch out. I don't want to keep things going if they don't have a direction.**

 **Granted, in this instance, I still need to decide on how to end it and what the final chapter will be like. It is less clear than Walk in the Park or Meet and Greet, which I am ending soon too.**

 **But all the pieces are in place and when we reach chapter 15 of Reptile, I hope you all find it satisfying.**

 **After that, aside from an odd o shot or two, I am taking a break from writing MHA.**

 **I don't want to "typecast" or limit myself and I have other things I want to work on, both in terms of writing and of life.**

 **Anyway, before I go, I don't want to spoil anything but rest assured.**

 **No gays are getting buried in this fic. That is all I will say.**

 **Ciao, bellas! 3**

 **P.S. I lied. I do have one more thing to say. Please support my ko-fi**

 **/maggied**

 **I swear I will do more with it. Thank you and Ciao for reals.**


	14. Girlfriend in a Coma (sorta)

Kyouka didn't show it much. She had an aloof facade. Sure she could be chill, but a lot of that nonplussed look she had was a disguise. She had a butch look about her but she was actually self conscious about her femininity at times to the point she didn't know where the hell she fell on the lesbian Ph scale. Kyouka, in truth was emotional. She was passionate, funny, kind, and sensitive.

And right now, all those emotions and vulnerabilities were on display as she rushed her injured girlfriend into the hospital.

"Stay with me, damn it. Don't you dare." The hearing hero choked out, biting her lips as she delivered Setsuna Tokage to hospital staff to be checked in.

The normally cheerful lizard girl was now slumped in a hospital bed, recovering from a large stab wound just shy of her heart from where she had reformed around a knife. It was a total, and yet the League of Villains had proven themselves to be a capable threat, one Kyouka was violently kicking herself and her injured girlfriend for underestimating.

She knew they were a threat. They both did, and yet they were not prepared. How could they be.

But how could they not? This was what they trained for.

Ryukyu came in, placing a hand on Kyouka's shoulder.

"I'm here, with barely a scratch, if any. If I had just been sooner."

"Hypotheticals will serve no purpose. You both did the best you could."

"I should have done better..we turned the mission into a stupid date and we let our guards down!"

The dragoon hero stood back and let her ward vent, dark rings under her eyes from all the crying and mental self flagellation she had done.

"I have a flyer...from the street. They were nice...We'll both give you a report when she wakes up…"

"Earphone Jack...Jirou-San. You and Tokage both did rather well, but the street is the least of my worries right now. In fact, if this...entity brought you here safe and sound, I sense no ill intent on their part. I would still like to see you both again though. You are both going to be marvelous pros."

Kyouka nodded and walked back. She was grateful to hear that. However, it didn't soothe the unease in her but. It was as if she took that knife as well. It was bad enough the stuff she had gone through since her first year, let alone Setsuna. But this...her mind wandered back to all those Bashert jokes. Were they...no. "We're still teenagers. Kids. Quit it Kyouka."

And that just exacerbated the fear and the pain until she couldn't hold her tears in anymore. The punk rock girl found a nice private wall and let loose, hoping to Adenai that nobody saw her. As much as she appreciated her friends and family and their support, she needed this: to just break down and be vulnerable

When she was finished, the hearing hero got a did a from the vending machine and returned to her post at her girlfriend's side

X

Cards and gifts were sent as the news broke. The HERpetologist gang, class 1b, the recommended hero students, and the Tokages all stopped by. The Jirou's were there to check on their daughter but she stood their steadfast.

Tatami, Habuko, Tsu, and Emi joined hands with the sleeping Lizard girl and left with heavy yet hopeful hearts.

Two sets of parents stood there and watched, as did Setsuna's sister, Tatsu.

"I wish I could do more. She's my daughter and I'm a Doctor. But this isn't my hospital...not my field."

"Ryuu...Don't blame yourself."

"Was nobody watching her? No pros? No school officials? Was nobody-" the lizard man adjusted his glasses, surely spitting his distaste. He was the most blunt of the Tokage clan, something his brother knew all too well.

"DAD!"

Tatsu snapped her head to her father, aiming to silence him so he could look. As distraught as he was over harm be falling his daughter, there was a young girl who had not left the bedside minus bathroom breaks. Her parents had brought her Otoboke Beaver hoodie and some snacks, but she barely ate.

"The Doctors say she is stable but that it just missed her vital organs. Her quirk saved her life."

"..."

"Come again?"

"Then why won't she wake up?" A husky voice trembled, strained from crying and shouting. This was unforeseen. And that made it hurt all the more.

Awaso saw this poor girl, head shaved on the side, clutching her daughter's hand. She looked at Mika, eyes sullen and filled with concern for these two girls. The resemblance between mother and daughter was not hard to make note of. She looked like the lead singer of a band was so was a fan of in college: Piper and the Rats.

"Thank you for bringing our daughter to the hospital."

"How could I not? She's my girlfriend. She would have done the same for me. Besides, it's what heroes do."

"I wish we had met under better circumstances, dear. Setsu talks about you a lot. Very highly actually. Why don't you get some fresh air. We'll keep watch. We want to visit her too."

"I'm fine, really. Not leaving this seat."

The girl's stomach rumbled loudly, causing a blush of embarrassment to light her face up. Pocky and chips would not cut it. The girl needed food, and probably some deodorant. Plus she needed to go to the bathroom. But what if Setsuna woke up? It was Just a stab wound right? She was stable, right? She should have woken up already.

Her mother's hand shook her out of it, as did that of Setsuna's sister, whose hair was also in a bob but without blue highlights. Plus it was a lighter shade of green.

"Take five, kiddo. Hero student or not, you don't have to shoulder this alone and neither does she. We'll look after her."

"Fine. Just a minute. I could use a walk anyway." Kyouka sighed. It might be nice to get some fresh air, maybe talk to her friends more. Plus she wanted to get her girlfriend a get well soon card. As kitschy and tacky as it was, it felt necessary.

The young punk tipped her hat and walked out of the room, heading down the hallway and into an elevator. The hospital gift shop didn't have anything Setsuna would like. Kyouka knew her partner's likes and dislikes already. They had been through a lot already. Probably not as much as she and her classmates, admittedly, but those experiences still meant the world.

There was a corner store a block from the hospital. It wouldn't be long. She could pick up something for Setsuna there and maybe a bite to eat that wasn't vending machine or hospital related. Sucking in a breath, the girl ventured out into the afternoon air.

X

Awaso brushed hair from her daughter's eyes and saw the lizard girl's face twitch a little. The style was new but very much her daughter"s. Tears crept down her cheek, a blend of sorrow and shock and relief that her daughter was alive and stable.

She would have loved to blame the school or hero society. But the fact of the matter was that this is whatever signed up for as a parent: worrying about her family and whether or not some villain or disaster would rob her of them.

She knew very well the shifts and changes and impermanence of life. She studied it for a living

"Our little Setsu really picked a good one."

Not even grumpy old Ryunusuke could be cold about the matter. His reptilian features softened.

"Yes. They both seem to have been through a lot. Should I...check on her?"

"You just met her and already feel attached. Guess you aren't as cold-blooded as you come across, dear."

"Well, if course not, Awa. I'm a doctor. It's my job to care."

"Heh. Well Dr. Dino, looks like if things go this path we might be in-laws."

"Please do not call me that. Only my wife can."

The lizardman pouted and blushed. To see such a large and imposing man get so flustered and embarrassed was a sight to behold, but one Awaso was fully aware of. The scaly surgeon was not above jokes in the privacy of his home and could be rather affectionate of his "little banana split" as he called his wife.

"It's ok, Mr. Jirou. You have my permission. Besides, he actually liked your score for Single Strike Sir. Top notch stuff."

Mika looked onward. She walked over and brushed the girl's cheek. It was odd to do that to a child not her own but she had already accepted Setsuna into her family's fold. How could she not?

"It was rough for us. Not as much for you, but those villains put our Kyouka in the hospital. We trusted All Might and UA to do their best despite their shortcomings, but seeing your child unconscious in bed can be..."

Awaso finished the other woman's sentence with a kind hand on the shoulder.

"It can. Thank you. That incident made us distrustful somewhat, especially with the chain reaction it set off. Our little girl ended up unconscious too. Thankfully both she and your Kyouka made it out fine but that still seemed so bittersweet. Ultimately though we respected our daughter's wishes. Your family is strong."

"Thanks. I would say yours is pretty rocking too, Tokages!" Kyotoku chimed in, promoting a smile from his wife.

The two families kept watch over Setsuna, dreaming in her medically induced coma. She certainly needed the rest, but so too did those in the waking world who missed her most.

X

Kyouka walked the streets from the hospital, hands in her hoodie pockets and a Molice baseball cap on her head. She was told to clear her head and let Setsuna's family have some time with her.

Besides, she had not eaten anything other than vending machine food for the past 48 hours. The store was a block away, but a little more exercise would do the tern some good. She had barely left her girlfriend's side and had the girl been awake, she would have recommended exactly what her family had. Kyouka knew this but it didn't make things easier.

"How is she" a flyer blew on the breeze towards the punk girl.

"Danny? I thought you left?"

Kyouka was surprised. Given the circumstances, she would have expected the street to have skedaddled. Pleased though she was, she didn't want harm to befall their off new friend. She had enough of that already. She noticed an arrow on the back of the flyer and turned it over.

"I wanted to make sure you were both fine first. Almost squeezed into an Ambulance to do so."

"Can...can you do that?"

"Of course. I told you about the brick thing, right?" A road sign lit up, new text appearing. Any thoughts that this place was anything less than anything they presented themselves as had long been dashed. The teen was too beside herself to question it right now anyway.

"Yeah. Forgot. Sorry. Been going through a lot."

The electric banner of the cabaret scrolled by in a familiar manner. They may not have spoken traditionally, but their voice was unmistakable.

"Poor dear. I know. I wish I had been able to do more."

She shook her head and smiled weakly, placing a gentle hand upon the building.

"Danny. You did all you did. You helped me get her to the hospital. You did good."

The ticker tape rolled again.

"This might seem weird, but I want to try something."

"Everything with you is weird but sure, whatever you think helps."

A door chime from a nearby shop rang and in the window was a big blue t-rex plush holding a heart that said "Hug me".

"For her?"

"For both of you." A balloon inflated nearby.

Kyouka wandered into the store, finding this just as odd as last time, but oddly cathartic.

Once she hugged the dinosaur plush, she found herself unable to let go.

"Thanks, Danny. Thanks a lot. You're the best street I have ever wandered onto."

"Any time, love. Don't be a stranger. I'll send you and Sets a postcard one day. We can catch up."

And like that, Danny was gone, leaving Kyouka at the store she had intended to stop at. She got herself a soda, as well as one for her girlfriend, just in case.

The punk girl figured her family would have trouble grasping Danny's existence. It was all very JoJoesque. She would tell them eventually. For now though, there was a girl waiting for her who could awaken at any moment and she didn't want to keep her waiting. Looking into her arms, Kyouka realized she was holding onto the plush she had been hugging, complete with a little bow.

"Thanks, Danny." The girl smiled, tears rolling down her cheek. With that, she walked inside the corner store and picked up some things. She really needed a shower after all this.

X

Setsuna woke up hours later, or at least it felt that way. Truth was it was actually a day and a half. She was sore and groggy and a little worse for wear, but she had pulled through.

"Nnngh. Anyone have the license number on that–"

Setsuna had rubbed her head when she came to, only to notice several new developments. For starters, she was in a hospital. With tubes in her arms. Her one side felt numb, which caused a slight panic when she started vaguely recollecting events.

Thankfully she had all her parts attached. It would have sucked if that flame attack from Dabi had actually hit. It was strong enough that it could have rendered her unable to attach that arm.

Also, that Toga girl was scary with a knife. Setsuna would later refer to it as "bullet hell levels of bullshit." she managed to dodge most of the attacks but took a few bumps. Of course it was a lucky shot sneak attack on Toga's part.

It was like darts with Kyouka, but more painful and life threatening. At least she had a good rest to recover from it. There were gifts and cards all over her room, including a giant one covered in reptile stickers surrounding a heart, a similar size one from her classmates, and a big T-rex plush holding a heart that read "hug me". It had a tag on it that read "from Danny".

But what really caught the green-haired girl's attention was the girl passed out next to her, sitting in a chair but partially draped on her torso. Hospital staff would probably frown on that but Setsuna really didn't mind.

She was too sore to consider using her quirk, so she merely brushed the purple haired girl's cheek and smiled.

"Pssst. Hey, sleeping cutie. Rise and shine. My legs are falling asleep.

What Setsuna saw was like another knife in the chest. Kyouka's makeup was smudged and her cheeks were wet from tears. There were bags under her eyes you could store your wallet in. She, quite frankly, looked a wreck. However, when she saw her girlfriend alive and well, it seemed to come flooding back.

"Hey, sleepy head. Guess we both just woke uRP!"

An ear jack jabbed sharply into Setsuna's temple, causing her to jerk a little.

"OWIES! WHAT THE FUCK, KYOUKA? I AM IN–"

The green-haired girl stopped herself as she saw her girlfriend's head droop. Tears started falling again as the punk girl's voice got low and shaky. Her body trembled softly, vibrating like the strings of a sad violin.

"Idiot… You should have been more careful…you're better than that and you know it. But you got careless…Turned the mission into a date...and I…no… You did what you could… it was so quick and… I'm sorry...sorry for snapping, sorry for letting my guard down...sorry for..."

"Kyouka…" Setsuna's eyes froze as she saw her lover's lip quiver. She actually had done all she could, except for a perimeter check. A couple seconds was all it took No corny jokes would alleviate this. The Lizardy hero was not the only victim that night.

"I almost lost you… I… I was so afraid … We are finally there…We're almost fucking there… We're young and dumb and nothing is set in stone…but I know… I want to grow old with you and see your stupid smile every day…" Kyouka violently jerk up and forward, grabbing her girlfriend's hand as teary eyes pleaded.

"And I almost lost you!"

Setsuna was finding herself on the verge of tears now. The worry and pain this caused hurt more than her actual injuries, and those still smarted. The Recommended student squeezed Kyouka's hands and kissed them gently.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you. Not like this. This isn't the fun kind of scaring you. And I don't know how much this really matters in this line of work…Kyouka, I'll be more careful."

"Sets...I already apologized. You did everything right...you took charge...You did well.

"Yeah but I still got hurt...and hurt you in the process...I'll be more careful next time."

The punk girl stood still as Setsuna loosened her grip to wipe away the girl's tears and gently kiss her cheek, even with the nagging pain in her torso.

"You better. Now please rest. The doctors say you'll be here another day or two."

"Pfft. That's all. I'll be fine in no time. Provided…" The girl paused and stared off into space, causing kyouka to raise an eyebrow.

"What?"

Setsuna flashed a tired but vibrant smile.

"Provided you keep me company? I know you don't have my excuse and have homework to do but–"

"Say no more. I talked to Aizawa. He was a grumpy old bastard, but his heart is softer than it seems. He'll let me make it up."

"Sweet. I'm going to rest a bit. Still tired." Setsuna closed her eyes.

"That's a shame. The nurse is bringing you dinosaur chicken nuggets."

"Nevermind. I am wide awake."

"Pffft. Thought so. Dork." Kyouka smiled weakly, years flowing still, but not as heavily. Setsuna smiled back.

"Yeah, but I am your dork."

"Good. Just the way I like it."

After a comfortable silence, basking in each other's company, Setsuna raised an eyebrow and gave a grin.

"So you wanna play darts after this?"

Kyouka took her hat off and put it over her girlfriend's face.

"Too soon."

She couldn't help but stifle a giggle along with the tears. She had not lost Setsuna today, and that had been the greatest gift of all.

 **I have commissions to work on so those come next but man. Here we are: the penultimate chapter of Reptile! How far we have come eh? And how far our punk GF's have come. I adapted, expanded, and tweaked an ask meme I answered months ago in order to complete this chapter, but this is a premise I had in my head even before that.**

 **Either way, I wanted to give Danny a good sendoff and while last chapter would have been perfect for that, this chapter is a follow up. Therefore, it felt like Danny would check in one last time, so I tried to make this crossover more meaningful and plot important.**

 **As always, let me know if I missed anything in my proofreading process.**

 **I wanted to do more with 1B and the Her-petologists, and may be something with Momo. Taking the extra time to craft a longer and more fulfilling chapter isn't bad, even if it means waiting until I finish my commissions.**

 **However, I wanted to give more focus to the Tokages (who I basically introduce here), the Jirous, Kyouka, and Setsuna. That felt more important: keeping that focus. Still, I have one chapter left and I want to give this story a good send up. So they might feature in some way and one day, I might even give them the full attention they need.**

 **Anyway, back to vacation, Fam. Catch ya layers! I hope you love this chapter, this story and this ship.**

 **My focus will be on commissions and finishing Meet and Greet, but expect the Reptile finale this month. After that...well, you just have to wait and see.**

 **Ciao for now. ;) Xoxo**


	15. Graduation Song

A villain named minimal man. He was a small player trying to capitalize on the work of the League or the Yakuza or the QLA. Whenever big fish made a splash, there tended to be smaller ones trying to capitalize.

Unfortunately for him, he ran into two young up and comers from UA.

"Scram, kids. I'm trying to have fun."

"Pffft. Where's the fun in that, dude."

A pair of arms locked around the criminal's wrists, forming literal handcuffs until he could be properly restrained. As the police took him away, the two hero students decided to walk back towards the train station, where they would eventually head back to UA campus.

"Aw man. What a complicated day. I was hoping It would go smoothly. It never does, does it?"

"Nah, but I guess that makes it more interesting. Get used to days like this in a couple weeks, Kyouka."

"Don't remind me. It's kind of hard to believe it's here already."

"Scared?"

"No...a little. Come on. Let's get this guy over to the police. We have some studying to do for finals...aw man. We're going to have to pack soon."

"Ok. Man, that's going to be sad."

"Yeah...Just got used to living away from home. Going to have to move back for a while. It will be weird not seeing you every day."

"Yeah...but no…"

"What does that mean?"

"It means...we man, it's probably too quick. I can ask you later. Let's drop this sucker off first then get some grub on the way. I'm famished."

"Fine, but just a quick one. We need to study. And you need to say what you meant."

X

"Moving in together? Like...right out of UA?"

Kyouka nearly dropped the slice of pizza she was eating as her eyes widened. This was certainly quite the proposition. She was used to living away from her parents, but that was at school. Here, there was more independence involved. And even if it made sense, it still hit her like a truck. They had only been together a couple years and now they were discussing living together.

Setsuna opted for a plate of curry. She used to love the chicken curry, but decided against it towards the beginning of 3rd year. Chickens were essentially less awesome dinosaurs and it felt weird eating them, even if it meant never eating Dinosaur nuggets again.

The green-haired girl shoved a spoonful in her mouth and looked across the table at her girlfriend, swallowing the mouthful before speaking.

"I mean, we're 18 just about. Old enough to do so. Plus it will be easier to commute when we're sidekicks if we have an apartment."

"We don't even know what we are doing with the whole sidekick thing yet."

"No, but it is a good decision. Tell me I'm wrong. My family isn't loaded like Yaomomo's or Shishida's but like, they're all in the STEM field and yours are pretty well known through their music. Your parent's house isn't too shabby. If we split the rent, we can find someplace close to...I dunno. Wherever we end up, I guess. And on the off chance we work in different cities, we can find a good halfway point"

"We'll see. I need to think it over. Like...wow. Holy shit!"

"Do you not want to? I thought-"

"No. I mean yes...I mean...what if we fight? What if things go sour or like…"

"Hey. It's ok. Sorry. Didn't mean to freak you out."

"I know. Just...you can be so goofy and out there but also so prepared. You planned further ahead than I did. Sorry for sounding like I have cold feet...just… man, it already felt real back in 1st year. Now it feels so real it's almost unreal...god, I make no sense."

The punk girl placed her head in her hands, anxious fingers digging into her short purple hair. She hated feeling so nervous. This made her so happy, and yet so much uncertainty clouded around the future that she couldn't even enjoy it. It pissed her off how her brain worked sometimes.

A soft hand touched Jirou's head and ruffled her locks, causing her to luck up with a frazzled expression and flushed cheeks.

"Hey. Hey. We can handle it. We're going and the future is unwritten as far as we can tell but we have come this far, babe. If we can survive villain attacks and petty squabbles, and me being in the hospital? I think we can tackle anything. I know…"

Setsuna paused and flashed a smile, her own cheeks flushed red as well now.

"With you around, I can handle anything. And I am pretty cool as is. So are you. Together? We are going to be great!"

Kyouka calmed down from her anxieties only for her heart to find its way into her throat, having soared past her lungs on the wings of the butterflies in her stomach.

Setsuna's smile widened as she leaned closer, having finished her curry.

"Soooo?"

Kyouka was Tempted to stand her ground on thinking it over but in all honesty, her heart and mind were pulling in one direction. Ultimately, she decided to kill it over

"I am guessing it will be pet friendly."

"Well yeah! Gotta bring my scaly babies!"

"Good to know. I still need time to think on it. I want to live with you...one day. Just need to figure out if right out of school is too soon."

Setsuna sighed and slumped but she nodded in understanding.

"Alright. That's fair, Jack Attack. I admit it is a big step."

As they received their bill, the two pooled their money and covered tip.

"Can we see if Danny has real estate?"

"Don't push your luck. Best we stick to Japan for now."

"Fair."

The conversation continued until the duo eventually made their way back to UA high, a few stragglers passing by as they crossed the campus.

X

Time poured like water into a basin, days like droplets. Whether it flew like a bird, trickled like sand, or flowed like water was irrelevant though. The two girls had done very well in exams. Jirou wasn't exactly valedictorian or anything, but she was happy with her scores.

All the rooms were packed up and cleared for the next batch of occupants. It was so weird and a bit sad, yet Kyouka could not help but feel hopeful, if not a bit nervous (maybe more than a bit).

And now, after all the preparations and work, today was the day.

"How are you not nervous?"

"Who says I'm not? I could fall apart at any moment."

"Shut up."

"Rude! Jeez, no need to silence a girl. I did kinda deserve it for that pun though, huh."

"Little bit." Kyouka pecked the other girl on the cheek and gently punched her arm.

"But in all honesty, I am getting butterflies. We are done with high school. We'll possibly get picked up as sidekicks right away. This is what I imagine college is like. Heck, we might even decide on college. High school isn't the be-all/ end-all. We can even specialize. Stealth and infiltration heroes The world is ours now, Kyouka!"

"Dreams of world domination? Not very heroic."

"Hush, you. You know what I mean...have you considered my offer? It's ok if-"

A jack gently pressed against the Lizard Girl's lips.

"We can talk about it later, ok? Sorry."

"No. It's cool. No rush."

The stage set up in the stadium was large. It had to be to hold over 41 hero students in this graduating class. They had made so much progress and witnessed so much these past three years: in themselves, in their peers, in society, and in how things were run.

"Are we going to kiss on stage?" Setsuna waggled her eyebrows. Sure she loved flirting but more than that, she was so comfortable with this girl and happy to see the feeling was mutual.

It was scary though. Things were shifting. Villains were changing society, working on par with and even ahead of heroes. They pointed out and exploited the flaws and sins if hero society and, while the pros fought the good fight, the future rested on the shoulders of adolescents and all eyes were on them.

"We're never going to be All Might. That hero on all the lunchboxes who fights big masked villains in climactic battles. Our quirks can be formidable. We put the work in"

"Says the prodigy." the rocker girl teased as she folded her clothes and put them in a bag for later.

"I still worked though. But yeah. We just have to do our best. We made the news, we formed a team of sorts, we might end up sidekicking right out of UA."

"We faced a creepy British dude and met a sentient street."

"Dude, is Danny coming? I want to take a selfie on them."

I sent a postcard but try aren't exactly stationary. Also, for what it's worth, I would by a Lizardy lunchbox."

"It's Basilisk now but thank you, babe. That means a lot. Bonus points for alliteration as well." After changing into costume and then caps and gowns, the two girls were ready.

"Hey...Sets?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Wait. I'm confused."

"What else is new...but Yeah. S-shut up. I...I think I will move in with you. That night on Danny made me think about a few things and seeing you hurt...we're still kids...still young...but I want you in my life still, as long as I can hold on to you. If you make a Bashert crack, I will poke you but… yeah."

"Heh. Poke."

"Don't make it dirty. C'mon. Let's-"

"I love you, Kyouka...I don't say that lightly. So thank you. For everything."

"You're the one who came up to me after Valentine's Day with dinosaur chocolate. I should thank you."

"Yeah. Well, we can have our gratitude wars later. Let's go. We have to meet up with our classes before the ceremony."

"Ok. And Sets?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."

X

The two walked out and headed to the stadium where they would be separated until after the graduation proceedings. Each class of third years was separated with hero students in two groups and so on.

Standing in line with her classmates, Kyouka could feel the hair on the back of her neck bristle. They had all come such a long way since they started out. And now they had faced villains, gotten their licenses, fallen in and out of love, and more. It was a roller coaster, but a good ride all the same. And now a new one waited at the end.

The purple-haired girl scanned for her girlfriend but instead found a hand on her shoulder. Was it hers? No. It felt different.

"Excited, KJ?"

It was Denki Kaminari. He could be a bit of an airhead, but a good friend and handmade.

It was exciting, for sure. And yet her stomach was in knots. She felt her jacks might do the same

"Oh. Hey. More nervous, I guess."

"Right? Never thought I would see the day. It felt so far off but before we knew it, it was here."

"What are you two discussing?" Momo chimed in. She valued the friendship of her punk friends, but as class VP, she felt the need to keep things orderly.

"Jirou's got the jitters a little."

"I see. The 3rd place winner if last year's sports festival is feeling a bit nervous?" The pony-tailed girl teased. Her hair had gone through a few different styles but defaulted to her old iconic style.

"If it helps, I am feeling a bit nervous as well. This certainly is momentous."

"Yaomomo, you're recommended."

"So is Tokage, and yet we have both been hit hard by defeat before. We have all come far."

"I suppose. Thanks, Yaomomo."

"You are most welcome. We must be quiet now though."

The ceremony began, with pros from all over Japan coming out to see, with some even coming from overseas to see the ceremony. Cow Lady was in attendance, as were Pony's parents. The bleachers were backed with onlookers. Even recent graduates from other schools had come to celebrate the achievements of their peers. The underclassmen of UA were in attendance as well, taking note of what the future would hold for them all.

Much like any high school, there were traditional gowns to be worn. However, as their names were called, each graduate shed their garments to reveal their hero costumes underneath. It was to symbolize truly coming into their own as heroes. While they had certainly made their marks before graduation, this was truly the end of one stage and the beginning of a new one.

Names were called, one by one. The hero department went last, given that they were the prominent student body at UA. In other words, the best was saved for last.

Kyouka could feel her palms sweat. Her heart was like a drumbeat in her ears. And yet the stage fright melted away with that smile. Setsuna gave a thumbs up and blew a kiss, which her girlfriend promptly caught.

Performing on stage three culture festivals in a row, doing well in her second sports festival, and interning with a top hero.

She wanted the be a pro hero. This was her path. And yet the music flowed through her as the crowd applauded. In a way, the line between rockstar and pro hero were blurred. They even had a billboard listing.

This was her song and she had made some good friends and memories over the past 3 years.

 _"Music is part of who you are but that will make you a great hero. You'll be the song on everyone's lips, Kyouka Cola."_

 _"I probably won't be in convert any time soon. Or have a radio show any time soon. I'm not the next Present Mic. I don't want to be."_

 _"Well duh. You're the first Earphone Jack."_

That conversation reverberated in the young link's mind as she swept her bangs aside and moved forward.

X

Setsuna had always been an odd creature. She was sneaky yet sincere. With her quirk, getting in and out of trouble was a gift, aided by being the baby of her family. Yet she always experienced joy vigorously and defeat with severe disappointment.

Neito Monoma breathed through his nose and hummed a tune from Persona 5 while adjusting his tie.

"Such a shame really. I was hoping to best class A one last time but I suppose we will all just have to do our best to outshine them individually."

"Are you still on about that? Dude, we're graduating." Sen scoffed as he fiddled with his camera. He was going to want to get as many shots of this momentous day as possible, even while being directly involved.

"What Sen said. Besides, some of us are dating people in class A." The big sis of Class B, Itsuka chimed in.

"Don't remind me. In all seriousness...they are ok, I suppose. I just want us to get our dues. Be more than bit players in the grand scheme of things."

"Don't get so dramatic, Phantom Theater kid."

"Please stop calling me that just because I organised three popular plays in a row and corrected some of our...schoolmates on the proper version of Phantom of the Opera."

Setsuna had several jokes she would have loved to lob at her friend, but she was too eager. Too anxious.

"So this is it, huh. I just hope we all can keep in touch after this. We might be scattered across the country. I heard Pony and Rin will be headed back home after this too.

"I'm gonna miss them both. Man...this all feels unreal...graduating, having hero licenses...being in love...and like...I am going to miss all of you. So dang much."

The greenette felt a hand on her shoulder, growing ever so slightly to get her friend's attention.

"Hey. We won't know for sure. To be honest, I haven't checked in with my middle school friends since entering UA. But whatever happens, we're not just future heroes. We are friends."

Those words struck like a dart to a bullseye, setting off tears in her eyes. She didn't get emotional often, at least not in public, but with her loved ones, it was heard to keep in. Her heart was on her sleeve, as were her tears.

"Itsuka, why are you amazing?"

The ginger ripped the back of her head, feeling where her ponytail used to be. She had switched to the short look by the end of the second semester.

"I'm not? Just doing what any friend would do. Besides, a president has her vp's back."

The two hugged, the clock ticking down until their names were called.

"Kendou Itsuka"

"I'm up. See you on the other side?" The redhead smiled, heading up onto the stage as she waved to her friend.

Setsuna waited, her heart beating in her ears as the moment arrived. As the recommended student reached the stage, she looked over and smiled at her friends.

Kyouka Jirou smiled back. The air was filled with electricity as more and more young up and comers walked out to be seen by friends, families and pros.

General studies and business students were as hopeful as could be expected but as always, the real stars shined brightly, with 41 hero graduates ready to truly come out onto the scene. The internships, licenses, and the work studies were all for this. The young couple locked eyes. They had arrived.

The students of UA stood at attention, throwing their caps in the air, with cheers filling the air.

X

"So what now? We just wait for sidekick offers? I know some already received them in advance." Kyouka asked, leaning back in her chair at the afterparty, which was hosted by UA in conjunction with the parents and guardians of the graduating classes. The graduates from other departments were there, including Mei Hatsume who was vigorously chatting with the Shields.

"I might get an invitation from Ryukyu. God, I hope so. That would rule."

"I might not. I don't exactly fit the theme, do I."

"Not all sidekicks do. Remember Nighteye? His sidekicks used bubbles and centipedes powers. Completely unrelated to future vision… rest his soul though."

"Fair. I just have a feeling. But even so…"

"You're worried. Hey. Look at me."

"Is this going to be sappy?"

"Pfft? What if it is? Anyway, we're not going to break up just because we work at different agencies. We can't read the future, but I'm not really a spoiler kind of girl anyway."

Setsuna got out of her seat and offered her hand.

"Let's go hang out with the new crop of heroes. I want to flaunt you to them."

"I'm not arm candy, dingus."

"You're pretty sweet though." the greenette winked.

"If you say so. Come on. Let's go. Our parents probably want to gush."

"Yeah. Let's go."

The young couple headed towards the refreshments to see their parents.

"Danny! You made it!" Kyouka smiled as she ran onto the sentient thoroughfare that appeared on campus. Setsuna ran up to a street pole and hugged it.

"Bono to va. Darlings! I caught wind that today was important." The electric ticker tape of Peeping Tom's Cabaret streamed cheerfully before a banner came down between two street poles.

"Congratulations, young heroes! I'm proud of you!"

Some of the other UA classmates came out to see where Setsuna and Kyouka ram off too.

"What the heck? Where did this street come from?,

"Guys, meet Danny the Street! They're a friend of ours."

"They helped save Setsuna when we encountered the League last year."

"The street is alive?"

"Yes I am, dearies. You must be Kyouka and Setsuna's friends!" beamed an inflatable sign that sprung up like an eager jack-in-the-box.

The students explored the street while the young couple caught up with their friend.

"Thanks so much for making it out here. We appreciate it.

Ryukyu walked carefully onto the asphalt, politely stroking a streetlight as she made her way through.

"So this is Danny." She gasped.

"Hullo, miss. I take it you sent these darlings my way?" A bushel of apples in a vendor's cart arranged themselves into words miraculously. Even in a miraculous world of quirks, some things were extraordinary surprises.

"I heard some news about strange goings on, so I sent my recent interns to investigate, though I wish I had been of more help."

"Pffft. We got it. Things worked out."

"It seems that way. I won't keep you girls up. This is a celebration. Congratulations."

The dragon hero started to walk away, leaving the graduates to celebrate and talk about the parties and other plans they had lined up for celebration. However, she stopped in her tracks before exiting the street.

"Oh and girls?"

Kyouka and Setsuna looked at the pro as she turned on her heel, the vibrant garb she wore in celebration flowing with her.

"I doubt any of you will be waiting too long to become sidekicks. Especially you two."

And with that she left to mingle with the other pros and faculty members. A massive celebration occurred that night, followed by a joint dinner of the Tokages and Jirous. There was much to be happy about.

Staying the night with her girlfriend, Kyouka closed the notebook she kept songs and music related notes in, as well as some hero ideas. It wasn't as in depth as her friend Izuku's but she had learned a thing or two. She smiled at all the autographs in the back before shutting it.

"Stop reading and cuddle me." Setsuna pouted while lobbing a plush velociraptor at her girlfriend. Two earjacks caught it in mid-air.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't be a brat. Coming."

And thus the night came to a close.

X

Boxes lined the walls of a cozy two bedroom apartment in Hosu city. While Kyouka was still dedicated to heroics and forging her own path, the music was still inside her, fueled by the love of the girl from the rival class that came to call one day.

Instruments already leaned against the wall inn the impromptu studio and both Momo and Mei had assisted with modifying the room for acoustics and keeping the sound in. Kyouka herself even had some knowledge of it passed down from her parents.

Two terrariums sat side by side in the main living area, with shelves if memorabilia and an entertainment system also helping fill things out. Boxes of photos and books lay open against a weathered black sofa.

As the young couple sat on the small balcony overlooking the city, they smiled at one another before surveying the urban landscape before them.

"Not bad, huh? Nice view?"

"Better with company."

"Nope. You're supposed to look at me and say "yeah. It is." Can't you romance?"

"I can throw you off here, you know."

"Ha. Idol threats. You would never hurt your Bashert, would you."

"Why are you like this?"

"Because I loooooove you." The greenette grinned as she pecked her partner on the cheek. More relaxed in the role, Kyouka wrapped her nearest ear jack gently around the other girl's neck, using it in conjunction with her arm to bring her love closer.

"You know, Kyou? I...I know it sounds lame and cheesy."

"Shocking." The deadpan tone of her voice was betrayed only by a gentle laugh at the beginning.

"No. Shut up, nerd."

"Is that how you talk to your Bashert?"

The punk girl realized what she had said, feeling her heart beat faster. It didn't matter though. It was just them right now and honestly, it felt so good to say now. She felt no shame in her love. While the girl was not as openly lovey dovey as others, her affection was very deep and very real, a well Setsuna drank from continuously.

"I...you said it! I KNEW IT! Anyway, I love flirting and teasing. It's fun...but...I told you this right?"

"Probably, but you don't have to say it. I know babe."

"Mind reader?"

"Nah, but your heart is as loud as your mouth."

Setsuna turned and smiled, wrapping her arms around the other girl with all the affection she could muster.

"Sweet talk like that is why I'm yours, Jack attack."

"Aren't I lucky. As long as you don't say Rawr XD out loud."

"I'm not 15 anymore, Kyouka. We're going women, with our own home and responsibilities."

"You said it just last week but ok."

"Ironically!"

"Whatever you say, Sets."

And as one chapter closed, so had another opened. What started with two heartbroken girls finding consolation had bow grown into something timeless and valuable. Together their heartstrings harmonized, as gentle and tender as an acoustic ballad but as loud as a tyrannosaurus rex's roar.

 **And thus we wrap up another fic. I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **I really liked writing this pairing but I will be honest, I had trouble writing this chapter. Wasn't sure how to end it until I decided on having the graduate. Even now I feel I took too long in some areas and rushed others. I certainly could have expanded more. Better a finished story than a lacking one.**

 **But despite my love and creativity, I was starting to run out of steam a little so it might be best I ended it when I did.I can probably do far better but that is just me, always aiming to do better. I tried to pay homage to everything that came before, from the very beginning to the most recent chapters.**

 **Danny showing up was probably too soon and fan service but I feel I gave him and Ryukyu important enough roles that it was warranted. I kept the Jewish Kyouka headcanon plot thread going to lampshade their relationship, with the Bashert thing (it means soul mates essentially).**

 **It feels good to finish this. I hope I didn't botch it but man it feels good to be finished. I just have a big bang entry to finish and then boom.**

 **I am taking a break from writing MHA. It has been fun and it has been helpful and meaningful to me. Pretty sure I helped open people's eyes to various rare pairs. Not only that, I have many ideas and I tried to get them out there for others to use if I can't.**

 **For now though, my focus will be on other series, including my own original works.**

 **So thanks again. These two girls have been a joy to write and I look forward to creating new stories with new characters and new worlds, as well as some familiar ones.**

 **Take care and see you around soon. Promise! :)**


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